tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113667352017-12-11T21:29:47.064+01:00Expat Hoch ZweiAn American in German Now Moving to China: Thoughts on Life Abroad &amp; Pop Culturepleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09357319679260809789noreply@blogger.comBlogger105125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11366735.post-72513488340880957472016-04-20T22:47:00.002+02:002016-04-20T23:02:04.634+02:00Studying for the HSKI realize that I haven't written since the end of February, but I've actually got very good reason -- I've been studying my tail off for the official Chinese language test, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanyu_Shuiping_Kaoshi">Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi</a> 汉语水平考试, better known as the HSK. &nbsp;Although my time in China has been over for almost four months already, I don't want my year there to be for naught. &nbsp;Considering I was more or less a beginner when I first arrived, you could argue that I know I can speak Chinese at a fairly decent level now. &nbsp;However, it was a personal goal of mine to at least reach a solid intermediate level. &nbsp;I even wrote what my goal was in this <a href="http://www.sannielee.com/2015/05/the-inevitable-post-about-learning.html">blog post</a>. &nbsp;My goal wasn't ever so concrete that I specifically said I wanted to take a test, but at the same time, it got me to constantly learn every day while not being in the country.<br /><br />After leaving Shanghai, I kept saying to myself, "Sure, I'll sign up for the HSK," which is only offered here in Düsseldorf twice per year. &nbsp;I handed in my registration the day before it closed, not wanting to wait until the fall to take it. &nbsp;I had been a bit indecisive which level to take, either HSK3 or HSK4. &nbsp;The main difference is the number of vocabulary words that appear (600 vs. 1200, cumulatively) and the grammatical concepts. &nbsp;I decided to take level 3 because I figured I don't actually need the certificate for anything in particular, e.g. studying at a university or for a job. &nbsp;I'm really glad I decided on level 3 because I soon realized there were a lot of gaps in my vocab and grammar that I needed to fill! &nbsp;So here's how I spent the last few weeks studying.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BJReFWzYdk4/VxfrlUvSqrI/AAAAAAAAC5I/yP9QVAkjCWANWK2WFvtw06Q23OUq3tdWgCLcB/s1600/WP_20160420_18_12_30_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BJReFWzYdk4/VxfrlUvSqrI/AAAAAAAAC5I/yP9QVAkjCWANWK2WFvtw06Q23OUq3tdWgCLcB/s1600/WP_20160420_18_12_30_Pro.jpg" width="95%" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a name='more'></a><h1>The Tools</h1><br>After signing up, there were three things I immediately bought:<br /><ul><li>Hefei Huang and Dieter Ziethen's <i>HSK 3 Vorbereitung HSK-Prüfung</i></li><li>Quick Study's Mandarin Grammar cheat sheet</li><li>Quick Study's Mandarin Vocabulary cheat sheet</li></ul><div>And there was one additional book that I already owned but used extensively, <i>Tuttle Learning Chinese Characters</i>&nbsp;by Alison Matthews and Laurence Matthews.</div><div><br /></div>I had bought the Huang book for levels 1 and 2 awhile ago and felt they were organized really well. &nbsp;Level 3 is no different, listing all of the necessary vocabulary at the beginning and going through all required grammatical concepts. &nbsp;Lastly, the book has a ton of exercises exactly like the ones on the test. &nbsp;You might be wondering why I didn't buy a book in English, and that's a fair point. &nbsp;However, living in Germany, there's obviously more material available in German and the range of materials is wider. &nbsp;I've also realized when learning languages, making connections between ones I've already learned helps me remember things more easily. &nbsp;For example, when I was first learning German, I kept referring back to concepts that I had learned in Spanish, rather than connecting back to English. &nbsp;I'm sure this doesn't necessarily work for everyone, but for me, it sort of reinforces what I've already learned (if that makes any sense). &nbsp;I could go off on a tangent about learning languages generally, so I'll save that for another blog entry at some point. &nbsp;However, the Matthews book is actually in English, though I mostly used it to see the stroke order and maybe get some tips on how to remember pronunciation. &nbsp;I didn't use it as is suggested since it wasn't my main guide for studying, but I still highly recommend it for learning Chinese characters.<br /><br />I bought the two cheat sheets from Quick Study because I had picked up their guide for German grammar when I was learning it and really found it helpful. &nbsp;The sheets just break down necessary concepts in an easy, clear way, though the Mandarin grammar sheet is admittedly much more complicated than the German one. &nbsp;They're good for quick references rather than looking it up in a book and reading everything. &nbsp;Together with the Huang book, reviewing and understanding grammar became a much easier task.<br /><h1>The Process</h1><br>As with my undergrad and master's thesis, I counted the number of days I had until the test and then calculated how many words per day I needed to study in order to be in good shape. &nbsp;That wound up being about 20 words per day every day (including weekends!) for five weeks, which left me about a week before the test to really make sure I knew what I was doing. &nbsp;I also always leave a buffer for myself because I know on some days, I just can't reach my goal. &nbsp;It sounds like a lot, and yes, on some days it felt that way. &nbsp;But because there are also a lot of words in the list I already know how to read, write, and use (words like I 我, you 你, is 是, student 学生, eat 吃), some days I could "learn" up to 30 words.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eH7BMUduZiM/Vxfl9U-BpxI/AAAAAAAAC48/rHpJPZkE7AUPDCgLre_IoGEvHn2cBpMEwCKgB/s1600/WP_20160420_18_13_36_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eH7BMUduZiM/Vxfl9U-BpxI/AAAAAAAAC48/rHpJPZkE7AUPDCgLre_IoGEvHn2cBpMEwCKgB/s1600/WP_20160420_18_13_36_Pro.jpg" width="95%" /></a></div><br />How did I actually review vocabulary? &nbsp;Very old school, to say the least. &nbsp;8-year-old me would've cried having to do this, but 30-year-old me is more determined and disciplined -- I wrote every single word multiple times with a pencil and paper. &nbsp;Now, as an 8-year-old, I probably would've had to fill an entire page per word to have it stick, but as a 30-year-old, I don't have time for that. &nbsp;Besides which, rather than using four boxes for one word on grid paper, I used one box per word since my handwriting is now much smaller. &nbsp;For new words, I would essentially take a look at it and see the components that comprise it. &nbsp;One example is the word&nbsp;qí 骑, which means to ride (a bike or horse). &nbsp;I didn't remember encountering this word before, but looking at it, the left side is the radical&nbsp;mǎ 马, which is the word for "horse," a word that I already knew. &nbsp;The right side consists of two words; on top, we have dà 大, which means "big," and on the bottom we have kě 可, which means "can" or "to be able to." &nbsp;Again, these are also two words that I already knew. &nbsp;By putting all three of these words together in my head, I can imagine and remember the word qí 骑 in terms of writing, reading, and knowing its meaning. &nbsp;Pronunciation (i.e. connecting the sound "qí" to 骑) is my weak point and I basically just repeated it in my head over and over again while I wrote it. &nbsp;Some words were easier to remember than others, but being able to read, write, and know its meaning is 75% of the way there. &nbsp;If I didn't actually know any of the components of a word, I'd look up how to write it. &nbsp;The process of physically writing the words usually took between 45 minutes to an hour every day.<br /><br />After writing vocabulary, I used my app YiXue Chinese Dictionary to create a list of all the words I needed to know for the HSK3 (quick reminder: I'm a Windows Phone user, and I don't think this app is available on Android or iOS). &nbsp;Before I started writing new ones, I'd review the words from the previous day(s) for about an hour, which basically made vocabulary learning a two-hour affair every day. &nbsp;YiXue has different quizzes with which to study; I basically used the study function to look at the Chinese writing and test myself if I knew how to write it. &nbsp;You can see the character, hide it, write it using your finger, and then make the character appear again to check if you're right or not. &nbsp;I also used the app to go through various timed quizzes like only using the pinyin (romanization) and selecting the corresponding character, or having the English definition and selecting the Chinese character.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IqyoHwa_mfg/VxfmAYRi0qI/AAAAAAAAC48/rkKE_4HdyR8EBxSHPrNHFew9JzoBLNZEQCKgB/s1600/wp_ss_20160420_0002.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IqyoHwa_mfg/VxfmAYRi0qI/AAAAAAAAC48/rkKE_4HdyR8EBxSHPrNHFew9JzoBLNZEQCKgB/s320/wp_ss_20160420_0002.png" width="180" /></a><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R8ErYRw8Xcc/VxfmHBD2xFI/AAAAAAAAC48/W8jPatXOxn0P9ChkV_4wDcbAwXry8eCSgCKgB/s1600/wp_ss_20160420_0003.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R8ErYRw8Xcc/VxfmHBD2xFI/AAAAAAAAC48/W8jPatXOxn0P9ChkV_4wDcbAwXry8eCSgCKgB/s320/wp_ss_20160420_0003.png" width="180" /></a></div><br />Finally, after my two-hour writing exercise, I'd spend about 30 minutes reviewing grammar. &nbsp;Knowing the format of the HSK, I knew I didn't need to actually do any grammar-specific exercises like on the Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache (official German language test). &nbsp;The point was more to understand how sentences are structured and recognize various signal words that indicate important information (e.g. passive structure, if something is in the past/present/future, etc). &nbsp;A lot of people who study Chinese say the language doesn't have grammar, which isn't really true. &nbsp;Sure, there are no tenses, no articles, no plurals, and no verb conjugation that plague learning western languages. &nbsp;But there is most definitely word order and lots of words that signal all of the things that are "missing" from European languages. <br /><br />I wound up only doing the listening, reading, and writing exercises in the book about two weeks before the actual HSK. &nbsp;I felt confident that my listening comprehension is fairly good, especially compared to other foreigners who haven't lived in China and would also be taking the test. &nbsp;My reading comprehension is also not so bad; my biggest problem is having the patience of reading through a complete sentence. &nbsp;I actually have also been reading short things fairly regularly on WeChat, whether it's people's updates or articles posted (granted, I don't read entire articles, I usually read the first two or three paragraphs before I decide to move on). &nbsp;So again, I wasn't too worried about it. &nbsp;And writing -- I had a fair bit of that just practicing!<br /><h1>The Test</h1><br>I took the test five days ago and walking in, I felt a bit nervous. &nbsp;Filling out the answer sheet reminded me of filling out Scantron tests in school. &nbsp;It was almost a flashback to how terrible I was at taking tests in high school, making my mom wait for me for four hours while I took the ACT. &nbsp;But this test was a breeze, only taking an hour and a half of my Saturday afternoon. &nbsp;All of the questions were easier than what I had been practicing in Hefei Huang's book. &nbsp;The only thing that I was a bit skeptical about was the listening comprehension -- it almost sounded as if they had had Siri or Cortana read the test aloud, rather than having actual human beings. &nbsp;Even so, it was very straightforward and much easier to listen to and understand than doing it in Shanghai.<br /><br />Although I might be saying now that the test itself was quite easy, we'll see how my scores are when they're posted online in five weeks.pleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09357319679260809789noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11366735.post-23542358281716313112016-02-22T22:05:00.000+01:002016-02-22T22:05:22.225+01:00Reflections on a Year Abroad...again.It's been almost two months since I left China, but I haven't had time to sit down and really write anything meaningful. To sum up the last two months really quickly, Christian and I left China the day after Christmas because his visa expired on December 31. We flew to Hong Kong where we left all of our suitcases in his company's HK office, then went on vacation for three weeks in Australia. We went to Perth to visit my pen pal, then flew to Sydney (where it rained the whole time we were there), Port Douglas (where we saw the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree National Forest), and Melbourne (where we chilled). We then flew back to Hong Kong, picked up our luggage, and then flew back to Germany on January 20. Then I saw an incredibly cheap airfare home to New Jersey, so after two short weeks in Germany, I flew back home for Chinese New Year for ten days, and then came back to Düsseldorf. This means in the last eight weeks, I've flown over 20,000 miles, which is basically half of the circumference around the world. Whew.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-feSZTbYfAQc/VstsCGlB-NI/AAAAAAAAC08/vdaTB4hnz80/s1600/luggage_shanghai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-feSZTbYfAQc/VstsCGlB-NI/AAAAAAAAC08/vdaTB4hnz80/s1600/luggage_shanghai.jpg" width="95%" /></a></div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">All of the luggage we packed up and brought back to Germany from Shanghai</span></div><br />It's finally all sinking in that I've really left Shanghai and I've now had the last eight weeks to really think about life there. Being back in Germany isn't nearly as weird or as big of a struggle as <a href="http://www.sannielee.com/2006/08/reflections-on-year-abroad.html" target="_new">when I left Berlin and moved back</a> to Middlebury, Vermont. For one thing, I admire the fact that Düsseldorf is so empty compared to Shanghai and it's just so <i>quiet</i>. I don't have to worry about getting run over when crossing the street (not like in China, anyway). People don't shout as much. The subway is so quaint -- the new U-bahn line finally opened this weekend after several years under construction and there's a whopping <i>five new stations </i>that opened this past weekend. Admittedly, I laughed about this because Shanghai opened 22 new stations and a few new lines in one weekend, and that wasn't even the only new station and line openings I experienced in the 15 months I was there. I do realize labor is way cheaper in China, plus the government can basically do whatever it wants there.<br /><br />It's funny reading my <a href="http://www.sannielee.com/2006/08/reflections-on-year-abroad.html" target="_new">reflections on a year abroad</a> after my year in Berlin. Back then, I said I learned a lot about myself, like that I was more independent than I thought, my academic limits had been pushed, and I was more open to new experiences. After a year in China, it's actually not that much different. Again, I've discovered my independence; instead of academic limits, I was pushed professionally; and being open to more experiences? Duh. To add one more thing to the list that didn't exist in Berlin -- I've learned about myself in terms of identity, but more about that in a bit.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br />Being in China and living in Pudong, I didn't really feel like having to go back to the Puxi side of town to socialize. With Christian frequently working late or on business trips, I was left to my own devices. I went to the movies alone, I ate in restaurants by myself, and I went on a few solo trips as well. In order to get to know the city better, I gave myself various day trips to do within Shanghai, whether it was looking for <a href="http://www.sannielee.com/2014/12/discovering-shanghai-via-its-vinyl.html" target="_new">vinyl shops</a> or going to find Little Germany in An Ting. Independence in China was of a different sort than in Berlin; this time, I was really doing more stuff alone in a country where I could barely read anything, whereas Berlin was more actually growing up and taking responsibility for things myself.<br /><br />Professionally, I worked with a team of developers where only one of them spoke a little bit of English; with the rest of the team, I had to learn Chinese fast to communicate with them. In combination with other people giving me <a href="http://www.sannielee.com/2015/05/the-inevitable-post-about-learning.html" target="_new">weird looks and attitude</a> that I look Chinese but speak Mandarin at a non-fluent level, having to learn a new language to speak with my team was a great and necessary challenge. My coworkers were all so lovely and helpful with learning the language, whether it was teaching me naughty slang or useful tech vocabulary. And it wasn't that I was just learning Mandarin -- I also was able to improve my CSS skills, get a better understanding of SQL and databases, learn about development in China (hello, WeChat!), and realize what "secure development" means to different companies.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TJ3mAZBmF4o/VsttnHwShlI/AAAAAAAAC1E/D1crCkd04s4/s1600/panda_babies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TJ3mAZBmF4o/VsttnHwShlI/AAAAAAAAC1E/D1crCkd04s4/s320/panda_babies.jpg" width="95%" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Panda babies we saw in Chengdu because why not</span></div><br />Certainly, the year was full of new experiences which I don't need to delve into since I think they're self-evident (one word: China). But one thing that I had been expecting and can really appreciate was learning about identity and how I see my own. During my master's course, one of the biggest questions that we were always discussing was identity, its creation, and perception, both internally and externally. My relationship with China is a complicated one -- my experience of the country was automatically different from Christian's simply because of what I look like versus what he looks like. Moreover, mainland China at once felt familiar and completely alien, whereas Hong Kong felt familiar and not alien, just displaced. The most familiar things were food, from congee for breakfast to the baked Chinese goods to the simplicity of having a plate of green veggies sautéed in a wok with rice on the side. Other things were hearing classical Chinese pieces I knew from childhood being played on the street or visiting Hangzhou and realizing that all these legends I knew from growing up took place there. But the alien were things like people spitting everywhere, how rude people could be (granted, people can be rude in Chinatown, but actually <i>being</i> in China takes "rude" to a whole new level), and the written language (I had grown up learning traditional instead of simplified).<br /><br />During the year, I also came to understand what things I've learned from my family that are actually more Cantonese than just generally Chinese. One example: during Chinese New Year, all unmarried people are considered "children" and therefore get red envelopes, even from people who are younger than them. This meant that for the one year where I was married and my older sister wasn't yet, I had to give her a red envelope. My coworkers all told me that wasn't a thing, but then I checked with one of Christian's Hong Kong colleagues who confirmed it's definitely more of a Cantonese/Hong Kong thing. Even if I wasn't in the same region from which my family came, I'm more familiar with my family's own customs and traditions and better understand them after living a year in Shanghai.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q_i2e-tAtE8/VstwsTdpiaI/AAAAAAAAC1c/TlHIG5z1cw4/s1600/shanghai_smog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q_i2e-tAtE8/VstwsTdpiaI/AAAAAAAAC1c/TlHIG5z1cw4/s320/shanghai_smog.jpg" width="95%" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">A super smoggy view of Lujiazui. This particular night was "hazardous." But I'll never get sick of this view.</span></div><br />To get back to identity, I realized how Chinese I am. Eating Chinese breakfast every morning for a week straight? No problem! Grandmother who constantly nags you about something every time you see her ("Ai ya, you've gotten fat/skinny/dark/light/etc!"/"Why don't you have a baby yet?")? Check. Feeling guilty for living far away from your parents? Yup, even if my parents don't even make me feel guilty, it's sort of innate, I guess. But on the other hand, I also realized how American I am. Chinese breakfast, sure, but can I have some eggs and bacon? Great! My reply to my grandmother's nagging? Complain right back at her that she told me the last time I was too fat/skinny/dark/light/etc and there's no way I could ever please her. And dealing with the parental guilt? Well, I'm still abroad and just doing my thing.<br /><br />Then to make more things complicated, I've also realized how I've gotten accustomed to living in Germany. I'm a pretty straightforward person and express my opinion pretty openly, unlike Chinese people who frequently beat around the bush to say what they're thinking or Americans who sugarcoat their opinions if there's something negative to be said, "That's a great idea, but actually..." And anything not starting on time drives me mad.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AJMiy3xG4m4/VstvFnl72iI/AAAAAAAAC1Q/spJFIo5HV8s/s1600/pudong_airport.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AJMiy3xG4m4/VstvFnl72iI/AAAAAAAAC1Q/spJFIo5HV8s/s400/pudong_airport.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Good-bye, Shanghai Pudong! Til the next time.</span></div><br />Identity is something fluid and ever-changing and this is one thing that became very apparent to me while in China. People can't put me into one box -- am I Chinese? Am I American? Have I been Germanized ("eingedeutscht")? The answer is all of the above. On some days, I felt I could relate well to Chinese people and admired the country's rate of progress; on other days, I raged as an American how the US does things better and on yet other days I would claim that the German way Germans was best. If someone asked me, "But could you go back and live in China?" I think my answer would be yes. I don't think I could live in a smaller Chinese city (like Changsha, where I visited my high school friend Chris), but going back to Shanghai or being in another tier 1 city would be fine. Long-term, I'm not sure I would want to deal with the pollution, traffic, censorship, or hordes of people, but I wouldn't say no to a few extra years there. But for now, it's back to the quiet life in Germany.pleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09357319679260809789noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11366735.post-49783131364393479272015-12-06T10:18:00.000+01:002015-12-06T10:18:15.607+01:00Going to the Movies in ChinaA few years ago, I wrote a blog post about <a href="http://boondoxgarage.blogspot.com/2012/04/going-to-movies-in-germany.html">going to the movies in Germany</a>. &nbsp;I lamented at the fact that there are breaks for long movies and that people don't audibly react whatever they're watching. &nbsp;I also mentioned the fact that movies are either dubbed or not, and you're forced to watch them in 3D. &nbsp;Now that I've been in China for over a year and seen a few movies, it's given me more perspective on seeing movies in the theater here, but it's also made me realize that <i>how</i> people watch movies is actually cultural.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-urNpxZM-PY8/VmPtaFHPONI/AAAAAAAABuc/_WGITi0-2s4/s1600/cinema.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-urNpxZM-PY8/VmPtaFHPONI/AAAAAAAABuc/_WGITi0-2s4/s320/cinema.jpg" width="95%" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Inside my local theater. If you look on the left, you'll see a rose-colored pillar. &nbsp;It's so weird because they can't have anyone sit behind it. &nbsp;Not very well planned out.</span></div><br /><a name='more'></a><br />The first thing to know about seeing movies in China is that there's actually a strict limit on how many movies are imported every year, which is currently set at 34. &nbsp;Then there's the fact that movies need to be approved by censors and even then, movies might be altered in order to comply with restrictions. &nbsp;There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason why certain movies are shown and why others aren't; one good example is that <i>Mockingjay Part 1</i> wasn't released here at all, but <i>Mockingjay Part 2</i> was. &nbsp;Piracy is rampant here in China anyway, so even if a movie you want to see is banned, you'll likely find it at your corner pirated DVD shop or you can stream it online somewhere.<br /><br />The nice thing about foreign movies here in China is that they're not dubbed. &nbsp;All movies have subtitles in Chinese, but even if it's a Chinese movie, subtitles are required anyway due to differences in dialect (written Chinese is the same everywhere). &nbsp;The only time there's a chance that it will be dubbed is if it's a children's movie (I might've panicked and forgotten to check if <i>Inside Out</i> was in English, but luckily it was).<br /><br />Ticket prices for movies here can widely range, depending on what theater you're going to, if you're buying your ticket online or not, or if it's 3D/IMAX/IMAX 3D/4D (yes, 4D, more on that in a bit). &nbsp;I actually quite like the system here because it's more organized than in Germany. &nbsp;If you buy online or on WeChat, you pay half the price (50 RMB at my theater, so just under $8 USD, instead of 100 RMB) and you print your ticket at the theater from a machine. &nbsp;Snacks are also fairly cheap when comparing them to Germany or the U.S.; a bag of popcorn and two sodas might cost only 40 RMB (about $6.25 USD). &nbsp;Though the downside is that the theater I go to across the street doesn't have salty popcorn; however, they do have other Chinese snacks like dried beef.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CwIwY2Uz5fA/VmPxrhLkmjI/AAAAAAAABu0/dU6-E61gYL8/s1600/3d_glasses.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CwIwY2Uz5fA/VmPxrhLkmjI/AAAAAAAABu0/dU6-E61gYL8/s320/3d_glasses.jpg" width="95%" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">China has weird 3D glasses. The ones you get from other cinemas like in Hong Kong or in Germany don't work here. &nbsp;These 3D glasses make me laugh every time because they're so ridiculous.</span></div><br />So yeah, 4D. &nbsp;That's actually a thing here in China. &nbsp;I thought 4D cinemas were limited to amusement parks (think: Muppets 4D in Disneyworld), but no, they're not. &nbsp;I've actually only seen one movie here in 4D, which was <i>Jurassic World</i>, and seriously, that was a good one to see in 4D. &nbsp;The chairs shook every time a dinosaur walked by, there was wind, a little bit of water, the usual stuff. &nbsp;But the chairs shaking totally made the movie so much more engaging as if the dinosaur were actually there. &nbsp;OK, I realize I'm a huge nerd, but I actually enjoyed it so much I went to see the movie twice in 4D. &nbsp;When else will I ever be able to do that?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">But what about <i>actually</i> sitting in the movie and how Chinese people react (or not react, in the case of Germans)? &nbsp;To be painfully honest, I actually really don't enjoy going to the movies here in China. &nbsp;Firstly, there's no ratings system here, so people bring their kids to movies, regardless of the content. &nbsp;Even worse, they bring their kids even to really late showings, like at 10 pm. &nbsp;When I saw <i>Jurassic World</i>, the guy sitting next to me had his six-year-old son with him at a late night show. &nbsp;The kid was freaked out and cried a lot and because it was late, he was also very restless. &nbsp;Heck, the grown woman next to me was crying because she was freaked out by the movie! &nbsp;Eventually the kid actually fell asleep, so that was ok, but why are you bringing such a small child to a late night showing of this particular movie? &nbsp;When I saw <i>Mission:Impossible 5</i>, again, there were several families with small children. &nbsp;I always ask myself two questions -- 1. Can these kids read the subtitles fast enough (because they likely don't speak English well enough to watch a movie) 2. &nbsp;Do they understand the content or story at all? &nbsp;I still don't have an answer.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NVoIIT6MC9o" width="560"></iframe><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Chinese trailer for&nbsp;<i>Jurassic World</i></span></div><br />Generally, I think Chinese audiences' attention spans are very, very short. &nbsp;This is why only these huge blockbuster action movies seem to be released here. &nbsp;Any slow dramas probably wouldn't do so well; for example, yesterday I saw <i>The Martian</i> and you could tell the entire audience wasn't really paying attention until the scene where the Chinese space program was shown. &nbsp;The reason why I think this is that people <i>constantly</i> check their phones for WeChat messages or even just surf online in the middle of the movie. &nbsp;It's extremely distracting to have a glowing screen in your face when your neighbor can't pay attention to the movie. &nbsp;And saying something doesn't solve the problem; your neighbor might put their phone away for a good 20 minutes, but as soon as there's a lull in the action, their phone will come back out. &nbsp;I've also encountered people answering their phones in the middle of the movie and have conversations, not to mention people actually taking pictures of the movie they're watching and uploading it to WeChat. &nbsp;Finally, people continually talk throughout the movie. &nbsp;As I mentioned in my original blog post about movies in Germany, yeah, Americans will make comments, but it's as a reaction to what they're watching. &nbsp;Chinese people actually just talk and it's not as a reaction to the film. &nbsp;They'll talk about everything but the movie.<br /><br />In short, going to the movies in China is awesome when they have things like 4D and it's still pretty cheap to go. &nbsp;Admittedly the 3D glasses are weird and annoying and really heavy on your face, but it's not as bad as having people constantly pulling out their phones and checking them. &nbsp;However, I think it's just a cultural difference with what's acceptable behavior or not. &nbsp;It'll be interesting to see how movie-going behavior is in Australia since I've got tickets to see <i>The Force Awakens</i>, though I'm guessing it's more similar to how it is in the States or Germany.pleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09357319679260809789noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11366735.post-41044803425849204492015-11-08T09:18:00.000+01:002015-11-08T09:23:17.986+01:00A Minority Becoming Part of the MajorityIt's been awhile since I last wrote anything, and there have been times where I thought, "I should write about that." &nbsp;But one particular topic that has come up time and again is my relationship to identity. &nbsp;Being someone that went to a liberal arts college and has always been interested in the notion of identity, whether through media or external forces, living in China has really given me perspective. &nbsp;So let's start at the beginning. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uB-wKMad9Ic/Vj8ECxwvi1I/AAAAAAAABuA/PqrJxiGcQjY/s1600/sh_beer_festival.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uB-wKMad9Ic/Vj8ECxwvi1I/AAAAAAAABuA/PqrJxiGcQjY/s400/sh_beer_festival.jpg" width="95%" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Let's play a game...where am I? &nbsp;Answer: Just kidding, not in the pic.</span></div><br /><a name='more'></a><br />For anyone who knows me, you can probably skip this first part. &nbsp;For anyone who doesn't know me, I'm Chinese American, born and raised in a middle class suburb of New York City that's mostly white. &nbsp;Kids don't realize they're different from each other until someone tells them they're not the same. &nbsp;I grew up thinking I was Jewish and celebrated Chanukah because everyone around me was Jewish. &nbsp;My mom had to sit me down and explain to me that no, our family wasn't Jewish, and no, we didn't celebrate Chanukah (to which my answer was, "So why do I have all these dreidels?" &nbsp;Answer: "Because your friends are Jewish and gave them to you.")**<br /><br />I'm not sure when exactly I realized I wasn't like everyone else, i.e. I wasn't white. &nbsp;But I do have some very distinct memories that added up to my realization. &nbsp;In first grade, there was one other Chinese-American girl, but then another one arrived direct from Hong Kong. &nbsp;The teachers assumed we would automatically all be great friends because we were the only Chinese kids, despite the language barrier. &nbsp;The girl from Hong Kong and I did wind up becoming friends, but I really don't think it was because we were both Chinese. &nbsp;Another memory was using my preferred name in school, Sannie, which is a nickname from my Chinese name, instead of my given English name, Patricia. &nbsp;Other kids would make fun of me, saying, "Sunny like the sun!" or "Sony like the TV!" &nbsp;I wound up getting so frustrated that I started using my English name in school so that kids would stop teasing me, even if I didn't and never have really identified with that name. &nbsp;Another formative memory was in fifth grade, a new student from Israel made some fairly racist remark which made me cry. &nbsp;I don't remember exactly what he said, but I recall going to the teacher who had to sit him down and explain to him that that wasn't acceptable. &nbsp;Finally, on my college application, I checked off my ethnicity as being "Asian American." &nbsp;I'm not sure if it helped me get into college or not considering that so many Asian Americans apply to college, but it made me "different" or helped me "stand out."<br /><br />The funny thing is, despite growing up and being "different" from the other kids in town, I was also "different" when my parents sent my sister and me to Mandarin school. &nbsp;We were a minority at the school; the majority of kids already spoke Mandarin at home and were just learning how to read and write. &nbsp;My sister and I were learning everything -- speaking, listening, reading, and writing -- because our family speaks Cantonese. &nbsp;Unsurprisingly, we didn't fit in with the other kids, who also usually already knew each other. &nbsp;My mom had to drag me to Chinese school every Saturday for three years until she finally gave up because I cried every time I had to get into the car. &nbsp;Being "different" as a kid is hard, but looking back as an adult, it's obviously made me the person I am now.<br /><br />Which brings me to the point about being Chinese American in China. &nbsp;It's a topic that has been underlying my entire experience here, from <a href="http://boondoxgarage.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-inevitable-post-about-learning.html">learning the language</a> to <a href="http://boondoxgarage.blogspot.com/2014/11/job-search-interviewing-adventures-in.html">looking for a job</a> to just being in the supermarket. &nbsp;From the outside, I look like everyone else. &nbsp;When I sit on the subway and look around me, I don't stand out. &nbsp;On expat publications, they'll comment about expats giving each other a "knowing look" about, "Well, that's China!" in certain situations. &nbsp;If I give a "knowing look" to a stranger that is clearly not from around here, I'm pretty sure they just think I'm staring at them weirdly or they think I'm just eyeing them because they're obviously not local. &nbsp;Meeting people for the first time is harder than outside Asia. &nbsp;In Germany or the U.S., I'll usually comment, "I'm Asian!" and it's quite easy to find me. &nbsp;Here, I have to actually plan what I'm going to wear and describe myself more than just being Asian. &nbsp;I'll have to describe my height, hair length, what I'm wearing, my accessories.<br /><br />At concerts in Europe or the U.S., I'm normally one of the very few Asians in the crowd, especially if it's a punk show. &nbsp;I showed a picture from the OK Go show in Shanghai to a friend (which you can see below), and she said she could find Christian more easily than me. &nbsp;"Of course you can, he's white in a sea of Asian faces!" I told her. &nbsp;In the past, I've seen pictures from shows and I could find myself easily because I'm Asian in a sea of white faces. <br /><br /><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="5" style="background: #FFF; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: -webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width: 99.375%; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 8px;"><div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50.0% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><div style="background: url(data:image/png; display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;"></div></div><div style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a href="https://instagram.com/p/50XlTICSgv/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Shanghai!</a></div><div style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A photo posted by Damian Kulash (@damiankulash) on <time datetime="2015-07-31T23:03:04+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 31, 2015 at 4:03pm PDT</time></div></div></blockquote><script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script> <br />Despite the fact that I may look like everyone here, I'm culturally not the same. &nbsp;For example, many women here aspire to have a child here by the time they're my age; I know several women who don't have kids or are not married and are as old as I am, but they're seen as being outside the cultural norm. &nbsp;They're considered "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheng_nu">leftover women</a>" (剩女), which is a derogatory term used for unmarried women. &nbsp;Generally, people here are more family-oriented; one of my Shanghainese co-workers goes home every weekend to her parents and stays with them. &nbsp;I told her if I had to do that, I'd probably go nuts (sorry, parents!). &nbsp;And overall, I'm much more direct about saying things than any of the local people I know here. &nbsp;I'll tell my boss my honest opinion and question certain things if I don't agree, whereas my local colleagues probably won't.<br /><br />Even if I have now become a part of the majority based purely on how I look (because it's definitely not how I dress), I still don't feel a part of the majority. &nbsp;The frustration of being "different" and being on the outside is something I've always struggled with growing up, and it's definitely something to which I still give significant thought. &nbsp;Coming to China, I never expected that this would ever go away, but I think the experience living here has made me accept it a little more. &nbsp;I've come to realize that I've got a little bit of everything -- I'm American, I'm Chinese, I'm a little bit European. &nbsp;The best thing about it is that I know I can survive in the U.S., Germany, or China and be more than just OK. &nbsp;And to be perfectly honest, if I actually became a part of a majority where everyone had a similar background as me, I'm not sure how I would react. <br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">**I wish I could post some pics from school to give you a better idea of the place I grew up with, but after searching Google, I actually couldn't find any school photos. &nbsp;Which made me slightly glad that I grew up in an age where photos weren't ubiquitous and everywhere public. </span>pleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09357319679260809789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11366735.post-3743242640732912212015-08-08T20:34:00.000+02:002015-08-08T20:39:59.290+02:00Cultural Differences at Rock ShowsIn the past two weeks, Christian and I saw one of my all-time favorite bands, OK Go, in Hong Kong and Shanghai. &nbsp;Seeing them twice in a week made me think about why I sometimes go see bands multiple times on one tour -- even if the setlist is the same, each show is unique because of the crowd. &nbsp;With this in mind, I thought about the fact that I've been to shows in multiple countries -- the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, and now this year, South Korea, Hong Kong, and mainland China (I count HK as being separate from the mainland). &nbsp;So having seen OK Go in four completely different places (the US, Germany, HK, and China), here's a comparison of seeing shows in those places.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OdoSznnLQZo/VcY1dzyUywI/AAAAAAAABqo/_uyh2dum7lA/s1600/okgo_sh_show2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OdoSznnLQZo/VcY1dzyUywI/AAAAAAAABqo/_uyh2dum7lA/s400/okgo_sh_show2.jpg" width="95%" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">OK Go in Shanghai</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a name='more'></a><br /><h4>1. &nbsp;Crowding/Shoving</h4>Out of the four places, Hong Kong surprisingly seems to be the most respectful of personal space. &nbsp;The people weren't really crowding as much as you would think, and there was definitely enough space that I didn't have to worry about annoying anyone with my bag while dancing. &nbsp;Everyone was so respectful, in fact, that I felt incredibly rude trying to get up front, even though there was space that I could've fit into. &nbsp;Nobody seemed to be squeezing their way up front, whereas in the US and Germany, if there's some space in front of you, most likely someone is going to force their way through to get a better view. &nbsp;Admittedly, I've rudely shoved my way up front at various shows in the US and Germany and probably have pissed some people off, but the point was I didn't feel like it was super rude. &nbsp;My thinking was, if you're going to leave some space open, then let me through.<br /><br />My expectation had been that people in Shanghai would be crowding the whole time because you know, it's China. &nbsp;People are everywhere and don't have any concept of personal space in the subway. &nbsp;But even standing front and center at the show, people were respectful of space and not trying to get in front of me. &nbsp;At a show in the US or Germany, I&nbsp;quite frequently&nbsp;find myself gripping the barrier, lest I lose my coveted spot to someone who thinks they can get by.<br /><br /><h4>2. &nbsp;Security</h4>In the US and Germany, security is quite the issue and the majority of time, you have to open your bag and probably get patted down. &nbsp;Although I would think the US would be strictest, my feeling is that Germany is more so. &nbsp;One show I went to wouldn't even let me keep my studded belt on, so I was forced to leave it at the entrance and hope that I could retrieve it at the end of the night (unsurprisingly, it wasn't there). <br /><br />In both Hong Kong and Shanghai, there was absolutely no security whatsoever. &nbsp;No pat down, no showing what was inside your bag. &nbsp;Theoretically you could bring in drinks, including beer bottles, which is never allowed in the States or Germany. &nbsp;I didn't feel unsafe or anything, but it felt a bit wrong to just walk into the venue without having to at least open my purse.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N1gh6ZP03fE/VcY6UWFT6HI/AAAAAAAABrM/x9_ZnFak_00/s1600/okgo_hk_show1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N1gh6ZP03fE/VcY6UWFT6HI/AAAAAAAABrM/x9_ZnFak_00/s400/okgo_hk_show1.jpg" width="95%" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Lead singer Damian Kulash getting the HK crowd to sing "This Too Shall Pass"</span></div><br /><h4>3. &nbsp;Taking pictures</h4>It's a stereotype that Asians love taking pictures, and this stereotype holds true at shows. &nbsp;I'll admit that I love taking photos at shows and probably take too many in the hope of getting that one perfect shot, though I try to keep out of other people's line of sight. &nbsp;There's nothing more annoying than having someone's phone in front of your face the whole time. &nbsp;At the OK Go show in Hong Kong, when lead singer Damian Kulash came out to the crowd to play the acoustic song "Last Leaf," he actually sort of laughed and commented on the fact that everyone was so tech-savvy, a.k.a. everyone had their phones out and had them in his face.<br /><br />However, Shanghai takes the cake on taking pictures. &nbsp;Although Hong Kong also had no security, fans in Shanghai brought multiple cameras with them and they weren't just limited to smartphones or tablets (ugh). &nbsp;I saw people with professional-looking DSLRs and point &amp; shoot cameras. &nbsp;And unfortunately, there were quite a number of people with the dreaded selfie stick. &nbsp;So basically everyone was taking pictures the whole time with multiple cameras, smartphones, and tablets. &nbsp;I was so happy that we got to the show early and were in the first row front and center, otherwise dealing with selfie sticks and tablets would've really put a damper on the experience.<br /><br /><h4>4. &nbsp;Smoking</h4>In recent years, both Germany and the US have cut down on smoking in public places, including in concert venues. &nbsp;In the US, you won't get as many people disregarding rules and smoking either cigarettes or weed as in Germany, but both places, you'll definitely have some smokers. &nbsp;Here in China and to a lesser extent in Hong Kong, smoking is still allowed in public places. &nbsp;It's not uncommon in Shanghai to be at a local Chinese restaurant and the table next to you is full of men chain-smoking.<br /><br />Because of this, I found it surprising that there was basically nobody smoking at both Hong Kong and Shanghai shows. &nbsp;In Shanghai, I might not have noticed because I was so far up front, but in Hong Kong, I was more towards the middle and nobody was really smoking. &nbsp;So even if you wanted to smell like you've been to a concert (i.e. smoky and alcohol-drenched), you couldn't.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4ze0KRlR0Kc/VcY8P0hajJI/AAAAAAAABrU/pcTeq9vrvbM/s1600/okgo_sh_show3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4ze0KRlR0Kc/VcY8P0hajJI/AAAAAAAABrU/pcTeq9vrvbM/s400/okgo_sh_show3.jpg" width="95%" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">OK Go covering Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog" in Shanghai</span></div><br /><h4>5. &nbsp;Alcohol + drinking beverages in general</h4>The strictest place when it comes to alcohol seems to be Hong Kong, as absolutely no alcohol was allowed in the venue. &nbsp;I saw some foreigners who probably just brought in beer cans due to the lack of security, but there was also nowhere to buy anything to drink, even just water or a soda. &nbsp;Of course, this could be limited to the venue I was at, but it was a bit weird to be at a show and not be able to buy anything to drink considering it was pretty hot.<br /><br />In contrast, the venue in Shanghai had a bar in the actual room where the band played and it sold beer and cocktails. &nbsp;I found it particularly surprising that the beer wasn't poured into a plastic cup, but it was actually served <i>in the glass bottle</i>. &nbsp;In both Germany and the US if drinks are allowed, it's always served in a plastic cup out of fear that someone will just chuck it into the crowd (I can't even count the number of times I've been hit in the head by a cup or gotten covered in beer from someone throwing one). &nbsp;Although the Shanghai show allowed alcohol, the majority of people weren't ridiculously drunk like I've seen in the western world. &nbsp;In fact, the only person who was plastered was a Brit (go figure, I guess).<br /><br /><h4>6. &nbsp;Cheering/clapping/making noise</h4>The stereotype is that Americans are loud and the older I get, the more I realize this is kind of true, though at a rock show, this makes for a pretty damn good time. &nbsp;Americans love to cheer the band and shout things (ok, maybe Americans also heckle a little bit). Germans love to clap in rhythm to any song, as do people in Hong Kong and Shanghai. &nbsp;And when the band leaves the stage and there's that break before they come back on stage, Americans definitely win for being the rowdiest, but also, in my opinion, the most fun. &nbsp;People will shout and cheer and whistle and there's never any silence. &nbsp;Shows in Germany, Hong Kong, and Shanghai had a lull where people just seemed kind of tired of cheering. &nbsp;And actually, this isn't limited to just that break before the encore, but also after songs were done and the band was getting ready to play the next one. &nbsp;I remember one time in Cologne when Chris Cheney, lead singer of the Living End, actually commented on it and seemed surprised at how quiet it got. &nbsp;But in Hong Kong, it definitely got even quieter, which for me, as someone who loves making noise at shows seemed a bit awkward (see, I am sometimes still very American). &nbsp;One other thing I noticed was that in Hong Kong, people actually stomp their feet instead of clapping, whistling, or cheering before the encore, which people elsewhere don't really do.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WUi8u-36icY/VcZJmSnLJnI/AAAAAAAABr8/TfgDzdRelBQ/s1600/okgo_sh_tickets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WUi8u-36icY/VcZJmSnLJnI/AAAAAAAABr8/TfgDzdRelBQ/s320/okgo_sh_tickets.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The tickets for the Shanghai show before they got torn in half for entry</span></div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><h4>7. &nbsp;Ticketing</h4>I've always loved saving my tickets from every single show I've ever been to, and in my opinion, it's almost a requirement going to a concert. &nbsp;In Germany, they've even started to print tickets with the band or some artwork from the latest album on them to make it more like a souvenir (I'm not sure if they've started doing this in the States). &nbsp;You can also buy tickets online in the US or Germany and you usually have to print it out yourself, but I'll pay the extra fees to get a physical ticket.<br /><br />In Hong Kong and Shanghai, I bought my tickets online and didn't have to print anything, unlike in the west. &nbsp;For the show in Hong Kong, I was sent a PDF with a QR code which I saved on my phone. &nbsp;At the venue, I just had to open the document and have the people scan it, which felt a bit odd because I always check 10 million times that I haven't forgotten/lost my ticket. &nbsp;Admittedly, I checked my phone 10 million times to make sure it had enough battery before going in. &nbsp;In Shanghai, I also ordered my tickets online and was sent an SMS telling me that I could pick up my "e-tickets" before the show. &nbsp;When I went to pick them up, there was just a table set up with a dinky sign. &nbsp;And the tickets themselves? &nbsp;They were just regular pieces of paper printed out from a regular printer with a stamp on it. &nbsp;At the entrance, they just tore it in half.<br /><br />To be fair, at the end of the Hong Kong show, there were posters handed out to everyone as they exited which were made specifically for the Hong Kong date. &nbsp;I thought that was pretty cool and a good substitute for a ticket, and it's actually something I might frame and hang up.<br /><br /><h4>8. &nbsp;Dancing</h4>Far and away, Americans love dancing/rocking out the most when I compare shows, followed by those in Germany. &nbsp;Hong Kong people danced the least, which I found a bit disappointing. &nbsp;I'll dance regardless if nobody else is, but it makes for much more fun when the crowd gets into it. &nbsp;I really don't care if people give me weird looks or find it annoying -- there's music, and as Frank Turner sang, I want to dance.<br /><br />I was surprised at how much people in Shanghai moved as I thought they would be more reserved than Hong Kong, but that wasn't the case. &nbsp;In fact, Damian actually even invited people up on stage to dance during the last song, "Here It Goes Again," and people (including myself!) were happy to oblige. &nbsp;He didn't do this in Hong Kong, which just proves why going to multiple shows on the same tour is totally worth it. &nbsp;I certainly wouldn't have predicted that that would happen.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UkX2liEoHaU/VcY9mO6XpAI/AAAAAAAABrk/wGRJXKOXv_Y/s1600/okgo_sh_show4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UkX2liEoHaU/VcY9mO6XpAI/AAAAAAAABrk/wGRJXKOXv_Y/s400/okgo_sh_show4.jpg" width="95%" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">People (including me, to the right of Damian) dancing on stage at the Shanghai show</span></div><br /><br />---<br /><br />Just observing these differences, it's tough to say where my favorite place to see a show is, especially considering that I've only been to one show each in Hong Kong and Shanghai. &nbsp;Coming from the New York area, though, it does seem that bands tend to really try to impress people and put on the best show possible, which makes for a fantastic experience. &nbsp;On the other hand, the fact that this was OK Go's first show in Shanghai also made it memorable because the majority of people probably had never seen them before and therefore were just excited to see them. &nbsp;There wasn't any real heckling (ok, except for from the drunk British dude...again, go figure), which happens a lot more in the US.<br /><br />In September, I'll be seeing Muse at the Mercedes-Benz Arena here in Shanghai, so it'll be interesting to see if some of my observations from the OK Go show hold up. &nbsp;I know it won't be nearly as fun as the OK Go shows because I'm not the biggest Muse fan, and it's also in an arena. &nbsp;But it's still live music...we'll just have to hope the show doesn't get canceled like they quite often do here (examples: Lenny Kravitz, Robbie Williams, Maroon 5).pleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09357319679260809789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11366735.post-56051323391914279502015-08-01T14:51:00.001+02:002015-08-01T14:51:46.943+02:00Life Behind the Great FirewallBefore coming to China, I knew about the Great Firewall, which is the Chinese government's attempt at regulating the internet. &nbsp;In case you've never heard of it, it's basically a form of censorship where certain websites are inaccessible within China, including most of popular western social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WordPress, Blogger, etc.), anything from Google (including Gmail), western news outlets (like the New York Times, BBC, Washington Post, etc.). <br /><br />I've come to realize that basically all of the media I consume is blocked in China. &nbsp;The only way I can access it is using a VPN, and even then, it still lags. &nbsp;The Great Firewall brings everything down to a crawl, and if I want to upload one picture to Instagram, it could take me a good 10 minutes to do so with the VPN. &nbsp;Sometimes going on the NY Times is impossible. &nbsp;Quite often, the slow internet is so frustrating that I just don't go online and will just watch whatever's on TV instead (I've become a fan of <i>Masterchef</i>).<br /><br />Basically, whenever you want to access a site that's blocked without a VPN, you get this:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ho1lqfiq1Dk/Vbwqvak4wHI/AAAAAAAABp0/OmKNmDlYglQ/s1600/unavailable_page.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ho1lqfiq1Dk/Vbwqvak4wHI/AAAAAAAABp0/OmKNmDlYglQ/s400/unavailable_page.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a name='more'></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Even sites that I regularly read that aren't blocked (AV Club, Consequence of Sound, Pledgemusic), are so slow without the VPN that sometimes I wonder if they've been added to the blacklist. &nbsp;And then a few months ago, there was a case that any website that seemed to have any Facebook code (whether it was just a like button or the option to sign in with Facebook) was redirecting to wpkg.org. &nbsp;There was a discussion about whether this was part of the Great Cannon, another tool from Chinese censors that basically takes traffic and redirects it to a specific website, bombarding it with a ton of traffic to eventually make the site crash. &nbsp;(I'm not getting into the specifics, but CNN describes it a little better than I do <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/04/opinions/china-great-cannon/">here</a>.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Working at a startup, it's been interesting learning to deal with poor Chinese internet. &nbsp;For starters, our email is actually on Gmail, which means that if we want to read any email, we have to turn on a VPN. &nbsp;Part of the company is also actually in Malaysia and India, so when we develop sites for these markets, we still need to have these sites available with Facebook login. &nbsp;It can be challenging doing any sort of testing and quite often, I'll actually message the Malaysian team members to check something and ask, "Is the page <i>actually</i> slow/broken/whatever, or is it because of my crappy Chinese internet?" &nbsp;Trying to do any sort of video/phone-conferencing with Skype or GoToMeeting (forget about Google Hangouts) is also nearly impossible because the connection is so terrible you can't hear what the other side is saying. &nbsp;Most of the time, it's easier just to have a regular phone call. &nbsp;Even if I use Skype to call in to a conference on a landline, it's still difficult to discern what's being said.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As much as it is incredibly frustrating that internet here is different than the rest of the world, it has also created its own unique environment that people can get around if they're determined. &nbsp;One example is "collateral freedom," the idea that information should be hosted on encrypted services deemed too critical to block (like Amazon Web Services), so that people can get information they need. &nbsp;For Chinese censors to block an entire domain from AWS would be a bit much, which is why collateral freedom works. &nbsp;On the other hand, the question is if the average Chinese user even cares, since there are many services/websites that do what all these blocked services do but cater to the Chinese market.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've always been a proponent of net neutrality and living in China has made me even more so. &nbsp;Anything hosted within China is significantly faster than anything hosted outside of China (reason being: easier to censor/control), and it's frustrating that I can't even access my email without turning on a VPN. &nbsp;Sure, it's made me realize that I'm very dependent on Google's services and one could argue that I could find a Chinese substitute. &nbsp;However, the choice should be my own and not one that's been forced on me. &nbsp;Not only that, but the Chinese substitute isn't even a substitute because the products' quality is so bad. &nbsp;On Baidu, Chinese's biggest search engine, I tried searching for "translator" in English hoping that it would give me the Baidu English/Chinese translator. &nbsp;These were the top five results I got:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UPYkPVHEXUM/Vbw1Da6mHpI/AAAAAAAABqI/vtYqtQg-AfU/s1600/baidu_translator.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UPYkPVHEXUM/Vbw1Da6mHpI/AAAAAAAABqI/vtYqtQg-AfU/s400/baidu_translator.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you look, you'll see that Google Translate is the first hit, followed by Bing, some random website, and then finally, the Baidu translator. &nbsp;And the Baidu translator search result isn't actually even for an on-site translator, it's for an Android app. &nbsp;It makes absolutely no sense to me that the first hit is Google Translate when all Google services are blocked to begin with! &nbsp;So this is the reason why I don't use Baidu or other Chinese services -- they're not substitutes because their quality is far inferior to Google and even Bing (which thankfully isn't blocked).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I guess the basic conclusion about life behind the Great Firewall is this -- if you're a westerner that needs a digital detox, come to China without a VPN. &nbsp;And for me, the lack of freedom online even with using a VPN is one major reason why I'm not sure I would want to stay in China long-term.</div>pleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09357319679260809789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11366735.post-69977986324307286142015-07-12T11:01:00.000+02:002015-07-13T15:04:38.241+02:00Working in a Chinese office -- cultural + development differencesI've just recently reached the seven-month mark working here in Shanghai. &nbsp;The company that I'm at was actually founded here by an Indian and an American, but the majority of my coworkers are Chinese (although we also have an office in Kuala Lumpur and one in Mumbai). &nbsp;We're only a team of about 20 people in the Shanghai office, so comparing work styles between a Chinese, German, and American company isn't really possible since the other jobs I've had were at bigger companies. &nbsp;However, there are a few things I've discovered working in China, and if you know me, I love lists. &nbsp;So here are five things I've noticed about working in the Middle Kingdom.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q119_KBL_7Y/VaIZegKHcOI/AAAAAAAABoo/G1oipEeDmcc/s1600/WP_20150530_13_22_01_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q119_KBL_7Y/VaIZegKHcOI/AAAAAAAABoo/G1oipEeDmcc/s400/WP_20150530_13_22_01_Pro.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pictures of the office are boring. So here's a picture from Hangzhou's West Lake instead.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><h3>1. &nbsp;The water dispenser</h3>Every office here in China has a water dispenser/water cooler. &nbsp;Except it's not really a water cooler by any means. &nbsp;In the United States, the water cooler actually cools water so that you'll get a nice glass of cold water, something you'd like to drink on a hot summer day, whether or not it's the summer. &nbsp;Here in China, it's really more of a water heater dispenser. &nbsp;There are two options for water: room temperature which is "cold" water 冷水 (not "ice" water 冰水, which is what Americans like to drink) and hot water 热水. &nbsp;The hot water is practical for making tea, instant coffee, or even ramen very quickly, but the room temperature water just doesn't do it for me, especially since the really hot summer weather is upon us. &nbsp;Usually I'll let my room temperature water sit a bit and it'll actually get colder because the air conditioning is on so high. &nbsp;Also people here drink hot water plain. &nbsp;I knew that before I came here since my dad and grandparents do that, but I know non-Chinese people think it to be super bizarre.<br /><br /><h3>2. &nbsp;The afternoon power nap</h3>At my last job in Germany which was at a fairly big tech company, I would always joke about taking a nap on one of the big bean bag chairs that was ubiquitous around the office. &nbsp;But that's all it ever was -- a joke. &nbsp;I wouldn't <i>actually</i> ever take a nap there because, well, it'd be a bit odd (though I'm sure everyone in the office would just shrug and be ok with it or play a practical joke).<br /><br />However, here in China, it's very common to take a power nap after you eat lunch. &nbsp;The term is "xiūxí" 休息, or "to rest." &nbsp;My coworkers will usually sit at their desks and lean forward, resting their heads on their arms. &nbsp;Some of them actually have pillows that they'll put on their desks and just slump over onto them without having their arms to lean on. &nbsp;Each person's nap differs in length, though there are a few who don't really do it. &nbsp;When I told my Chinese teacher that I don't power nap after lunch, she looked at me appalled, asking, "So, you just eat lunch, and then continue working?!" <br /><br />I'm not sure if this helps productivity or not, but if I did power nap, I'd probably take it later in the day during my afternoon slump. &nbsp;Then again, if I took a nap, who knows if I'd actually wake up.<br /><br />And generally, people are <b>really</b> good at power-napping here. &nbsp;Here's two pics of people sleeping on the train, in addition to the ones I posted in February (because I take pictures of everyone on the train since there's not much else to do when you're riding it every day for 45 minutes one way).<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Yy6_aNLoiXs/VaIbDOHKOkI/AAAAAAAABpA/21nMgzEaApQ/s1600/WP_20150313_19_34_57_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Yy6_aNLoiXs/VaIbDOHKOkI/AAAAAAAABpA/21nMgzEaApQ/s320/WP_20150313_19_34_57_Pro.jpg" width="180" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u7hUwHVH3Js/VaIbDJ0K51I/AAAAAAAABo8/Do-TedajDd0/s1600/WP_20150520_001.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u7hUwHVH3Js/VaIbDJ0K51I/AAAAAAAABo8/Do-TedajDd0/s320/WP_20150520_001.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Power-napping on the train, huzzah</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><h3>3. &nbsp;Personal hygiene in the office</h3>Back in February, I mentioned how people do <a href="http://boondoxgarage.blogspot.com/2015/02/pictures-are-worth-1000-words.html">gross things in the subway</a>. &nbsp;I had a picture of a guy clipping his fingernails in the subway, and guess what, it doesn't end on public transportation. &nbsp;I have a few colleagues who do this in the office as well. &nbsp;I talked to two of my coworkers who aren't from China, and I realized that I'm not the only one who finds it a bit disgusting. &nbsp;So now every time I hear that awful noise, I look up at these coworkers with this reaction:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b34GoTaeqRI/VaISL_Z5N2I/AAAAAAAABoM/BL__K6fN5f0/s1600/scared-cat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b34GoTaeqRI/VaISL_Z5N2I/AAAAAAAABoM/BL__K6fN5f0/s320/scared-cat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I've talked to Christian about this, and he's also said people clip their nails in his office too. &nbsp;So it's not just in my office. &nbsp;I guess at least I should be thankful that they're clipping their nails over the garbage can and not just letting it fly every which way.<br /><br /><h3>4. &nbsp;Developing in Chinese isn't nearly as awful as I had expected</h3>Working together with developers whose English is at a very basic level can be challenging, but at the same time, if we are discussing technical stuff, speaking in Chinglish gets the point across both ways. &nbsp;Luckily so much of development is in English, so by just pointing at something and using very basic works, like, "That's not right," or "That's ok," we can work together pretty well. &nbsp;I've learned specific terms, though sometimes it's just easier for me to fix the code myself (especially if it's front-end related) or just show a screenshot. &nbsp;On occasion, there are things that are a bit more complex that I'll have to ask another colleague to translate for me. &nbsp;The problem here is that the colleagues who speak English well don't really know technical terms at all in English or Chinese. &nbsp;Luckily, these situations aren't so common, but it's a learning experience for everyone involved.<br /><br /><h3>5. &nbsp;Developing for the Chinese market is a completely different ballgame</h3>Currently, one of our main projects is developing a WeChat app. &nbsp;I've mentioned WeChat several times before, but to reiterate, WeChat is a social network/messaging app that has a lot of other really cool, convenient features. &nbsp;It's enormously popular and you can't get away from it. &nbsp;On a side note, I actually prefer WeChat to WhatsApp or Facebook messenger (which I've actually removed from my phone because I hate it that much and it's useless in China anyway). &nbsp;One of WeChat's interesting features is that if you tap on a link that someone's sent you in a private message or someone posted on their Moments (basically like the Newsfeed on Facebook), the link will open in the in-app browser. &nbsp;And the WeChat browser doesn't behave anything like other browsers.<br /><br />The other day, two other colleagues and I were testing our WeChat app on three different platforms -- iOS, Android, and Windows Phone. &nbsp;As a WP user, I've sort of unfortunately gotten used to things not looking quite as nice as on an iPhone. &nbsp;But the number of bugs and differences I had on WP in WeChat basically made the head developer want to cry. &nbsp;He looked my phone and was like, "What is that?!" &nbsp;WP only commands about 7% of the market here in China, but even so, that's a few million people, which makes it hard to completely ignore.<br /><br />Basically, we've skipped making a responsive website and gone directly to making something WeChat-optimized, which actually isn't that uncommon.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8yAT5Xfb8j4/VaIZdZiQ6vI/AAAAAAAABok/4nDBpz90ask/s1600/wp_ss_20150712_0001.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8yAT5Xfb8j4/VaIZdZiQ6vI/AAAAAAAABok/4nDBpz90ask/s320/wp_ss_20150712_0001.png" width="192" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Time Out Shanghai WeChat app, which basically is their website made easier to navigate in WeChat</span></span></div><br />---<br />All in all, working in China has so far been educational, both in terms of development (tech-wise) and learning the language. &nbsp;Sometimes I miss being able to explain something clearly in either English or German, though at times I struggle to express myself just in English because German just comes out. &nbsp;So it's things like that that are part of my daily work life. &nbsp;I wonder what will happen when/if I ever move back to the States or Germany how things will be at that point.<br /><br />EDIT 7/13/15 - I forgot to mention working in a Chinese office and the BATHROOM. &nbsp;God, the bathroom. &nbsp;A lot of places here don't have plumbing like in the west. &nbsp;So instead of flushing the toilet paper down with everything else, you have to put the toilet paper in the garbage can NEXT to the toilet. &nbsp;It's something I really loathe a lot and find it pretty gross. &nbsp;Not only that, there are sometimes squat toilets in offices. &nbsp;I've seen women go into them voluntarily, to which I will say, "No, thank you." &nbsp;And I'm pretty sure that if there's no squat toilet, some women will put the toilet seat up and squat <b><u>on the toilet</u></b>. &nbsp;Like, the regular seated toilet that's a standard in the west. &nbsp;Kind of like <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3043331/Chinese-passenger-hospitalised-airport-toilet-COLLAPSED-squatted-not-clean.html">this guy where the toilet collapsed under him and he was injured</a> (just read the article).pleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09357319679260809789noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11366735.post-85531443092063008762015-05-23T15:57:00.000+02:002015-05-23T15:57:04.875+02:00The Inevitable Post about Learning ChineseI've now been living in Shanghai for six months, and it's inevitable that I write about learning the language. &nbsp;Even before coming to China, I knew that not being able to really speak Mandarin but looking Chinese would be a hurdle, and I was right -- every day is a challenge when I communicate with people who look at me as if I have ten heads. &nbsp;People really just don't seem to understand that it's possible to be Chinese but not speak the language. &nbsp;I posted this video in <a href="http://boondoxgarage.blogspot.com/2014/10/some-thoughts-about-moving-to-new.html">a post I wrote</a> before actually arriving in Shanghai, and it can't be stressed enough how true it is (except substitute Japanese for Chinese), even if the video presents the situation in an amusing light:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe align="center" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oLt5qSm9U80" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><a name='more'></a></div></div>After starting my job, I immediately signed up for private Mandarin classes. &nbsp;It might seem a bit decadent, but I've realized why I never improved. &nbsp;Back in Germany, I took a beginner's class at the university while doing my master's. &nbsp;It was a great opportunity to dust off what I had learned in Chinese school as a kid, but the class was only once a week for an hour and a half; the other twelve students in the class were true beginners, whereas I wasn't really. &nbsp;A few years later, I decided to sign up for lessons at the Confucius Institute, the Chinese equivalent of the Goethe Institute, Instituto Cervantes, or Institut Français. &nbsp;However, I wasn't advanced enough to get into the intermediate class, so I was put into the beginner's class. &nbsp;Again. &nbsp;It came down to the fact that I could tell you basic information like my name and where I'm from, could count to 999, and could do basic haggling. &nbsp;Beyond that, I hadn't learned anything else like colors or talking about the weather because I continually got put into the beginner's class, where it was starting from the very beginning -- learning what the hell pinyin is (the romanization of Chinese), the four different tones, and how to introduce yourself with the most basic information. &nbsp;Hence choosing to take a private class where I could just tell the teacher, "I know how to say all this," and learn at my own pace.<br /><br />Currently, I'm almost halfway through my first class of 100 hours. &nbsp;I go to class twice a week before work for two hours at a time. &nbsp;Doing a private class was a really good decision because I'm already done with the first book, for which some people need a whole year. &nbsp;Moreover, my teacher is actually teaching me the actual characters and not just pinyin. &nbsp;This means rather than learning, "Xiànzài wǒ xuéxí hànyǔ" where the weird little strokes indicate the tone, I'm learning it as "现在我学习汉语" ("I'm studying Chinese now").<br /><br />Being able to read or recognize characters (which I had had from Chinese school way back when) has been a distinct advantage learning the language. &nbsp;There are so many characters that have the same pronunciation, like "ma" could be 吗 (question particle) or 妈 (mother) or 马 (horse), &nbsp;all with different tones, but then you also see that they all have 马 in the characters themselves. &nbsp;This means that I've actually been able to make connections between words, which makes it much easier to remember rather than just a single tone ("ma") that is meaningless on its own.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NDvmwz66jJk/VWB8cEJHykI/AAAAAAAABmw/IST0A2t_Cro/s1600/chinese_homework.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NDvmwz66jJk/VWB8cEJHykI/AAAAAAAABmw/IST0A2t_Cro/s400/chinese_homework.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Chinese homework, yessss</span></div><br />Interestingly, my pronunciation is also influenced by the fact that my family speaks Cantonese. &nbsp;There are certain common words that I just can't say properly in Mandarin, like péngyǒu (朋友 friend), dàngāo (蛋糕 cake), kāfēi (咖啡 coffee), and niú (牛 cow) and I struggle every time I need to say them. &nbsp;I've had people actually assume that I'm from Hong Kong based on my pronunciation, which I find hilarious, especially because the last time I was in Hong Kong, I talked to the cab driver in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English. <br /><br />It's also been amusing to see where and what kind of vocabulary I've been learning. &nbsp;In class, I learn everyday words: colors, business-related stuff, sports, foods, numbers over 999*. &nbsp;At work, I've learned a lot of technical words, like task, upload, update, database, website, webpage. &nbsp;And then there's slang I pick up randomly from people or by being able to read ads, stuff on WeChat, and watching TV. &nbsp;This last bit is actually the most hilarious because when I tell my coworkers what I know, they end up laughing their asses off and wondering why I know that, which then prompts them to teach me even more. &nbsp;It's as if I'm a child that amuses them greatly, which is fine by me because at least I'm trying to use what I learn. &nbsp;More importantly, they see that I'm making the effort to communicate with them in their language, which then makes them more comfortable trying to use English when talking to me. &nbsp;It's one big learning group, people!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uOpGbfpXhEY/VWCDXE36y2I/AAAAAAAABnA/ZkJ1-OpkBUM/s1600/qibao.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uOpGbfpXhEY/VWCDXE36y2I/AAAAAAAABnA/ZkJ1-OpkBUM/s400/qibao.jpg" width="575" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Qibao, a water town in Shanghai</span></div><br />But to return to the point about being Chinese and not being able to speak Chinese, it's mostly frustrating, can be challenging, but at the same time, motivating. &nbsp;It's frustrating because people really just do not understand why my Chinese is not fluent (especially when I'm with people who are white and speak perfectly fluently) and challenging because getting looks like there's something wrong with me is something I just need to get over. &nbsp;It should be their problem and not mine that they don't understand that. &nbsp;But even with being exasperated the majority of the time, this attitude is actually motivating because of the fact that there <i>is</i> an expectation that I can speak the language. &nbsp;For Christian, he's white, and there's no expectation that he can speak the language, so people readily accept the fact that they will have difficulty understanding him. &nbsp;He can just smile and try to communicate, and if he doesn't learn Chinese, he's a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laowai">laowai 老外</a> (foreigner), so it doesn't matter. &nbsp;I guess it's kind of the opposite of learning German, where it was motivating to pleasantly surprise people that I can speak it. &nbsp;It's motivating to learn Chinese&nbsp;<i>because</i> of that expectation, if that makes any sense whatsoever.<br /><br />Six months in, I'm now able to search online for things, book flights and hotels online, can communicate what I want to order better in a restaurant, tell the developers very basically what I need them to do, do a daily scrum, and have a basic conversation in Chinese. &nbsp;My goal in another six months is to be able to have more than a basic conversation, be able to read more advertisements in the subway, and to order what I want not just by saying, "I'd like to have one portion of this," and pointing to it on the menu. &nbsp;And now that I've basically announced my goal to everyone, I need to hold myself to it.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">*As a small tangent, wtf, Chinese, you win for weirdest way to say numbers when they're really large. &nbsp;The number 14,050,910 is basically said "one thousand four hundred zero five ten-thousand, nine hundred ten" so that it's broken down as such: 14050 910 Yīqiān sìbǎi líng wǔ wàn jiǔbǎi yīshí 一千四百零五万九百一十. Even if German is weird and says "nine-and-twenty"/"neunundzwanzig" for 29, at least it still breaks down numbers in groups of threes so that's still vierzehnmillionenfünfzigtausendneunhundertzehn (basically how we say it in English).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">**I'd also just like to mention, this is apparently my 100th post.</span>pleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09357319679260809789noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11366735.post-11725030330081020802015-04-19T16:00:00.000+02:002015-04-20T15:24:18.159+02:00Differences Between Expats & ImmigrantsEver since I arrived here in Shanghai, I noticed there's a huge expat community here. &nbsp;The magazines <a href="http://www.timeoutshanghai.com/">TimeOut Shanghai</a> and <a href="http://www.cityweekend.com.cn/shanghai/">City Weekend</a>&nbsp;are every expat's guide to the city; they review restaurants, put up the latest happenings, list events, and so on, all in English. &nbsp;One common thread that pops up regularly is how the expat community is in a constant state of flux, mostly because people continually come and go. &nbsp;This got me thinking about the differences in the terms "expat" and "immigrant."<br /><br />I renamed this blog "Expat Hoch Zwei," which is the English term "expat" mixed with "hoch zwei," which in German means "squared." &nbsp;Expat squared because I was an American living in Germany who moved to China. &nbsp;But am I really an expat squared? <br /><br />The Oxford Dictionary defines each as follows:<br /><br /><b>expatriate</b> (noun) - a person who lives outside their native country.<br /><b>immigrant </b>(noun) - a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country.<br /><br /><div class="separator"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c5ghRsj9ISM/VTOyLs_ii8I/AAAAAAAABls/SQhvGf6X4BU/s1600/zhangjiajie1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c5ghRsj9ISM/VTOyLs_ii8I/AAAAAAAABls/SQhvGf6X4BU/s1600/zhangjiajie1.jpg" width="575" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I don't have images that would go well with this topic. &nbsp;So here's an image from Zhangjiajie I took.</span></div><br /><a name='more'></a><br />Based on these definitions, then, an immigrant is also an expatriate, but an expatriate is not necessarily an immigrant. &nbsp;It's the permanence that sets the two apart. &nbsp;In my experience, "expat" generally has a romantic flair about it and expats can leave whenever they want. &nbsp;It's obvious here in Shanghai that the expat community is exactly that -- people who don't imagine settling here permanently. &nbsp;Moreover, the expats here in Shanghai tend not to learn the language at all. &nbsp;It's easy to get by without really knowing any Chinese; just hang out in specific restaurants and bars, show addresses to cab drivers on your phone in Chinese, order things online that cater to the foreign population. &nbsp;Admittedly, I think it's easier to get by without knowing Chinese if you don't look Chinese (i.e you're not me) because the assumption is that you don't speak the language, but that's its own story.<br /><br />Quite often, expats here are sent by the companies for which they already work, their spouses and children in tow, and get a generous compensation package. &nbsp;They send their kids to international schools and can hire an <i>ayi</i>, a Chinese woman hired to help with various chores (though they are not necessarily like live-in maids like in Hong Kong or Singapore). &nbsp;Their social circle is composed of other foreigners in a similar situation. &nbsp;Generally, everyone knows that they're in Shanghai for a limited amount of time, though of course, this can change if a contract is extended. &nbsp;Like I said, the expat community is in a constant state of flux.<br /><br />The immigrant experience and the word "immigrant," I think, can be a politically charged term, especially in the United States. &nbsp;The media highlights how communities think immigrants are taking jobs, how they don't learn English (though the U.S. doesn't have an official language), how they don't integrate into the community, how there's waves of them coming. &nbsp;In the United States, it sometimes can feel like the word "immigrant" is not perceived in the most positive terms, even if the country was actually a country founded by immigrants. <br /><br /><div class="separator"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l7p4Lp_pIYs/VTOyL5hyhXI/AAAAAAAABlw/djiFgZ2b024/s1600/zhangjiajie2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l7p4Lp_pIYs/VTOyL5hyhXI/AAAAAAAABlw/djiFgZ2b024/s1600/zhangjiajie2.jpg" width="575" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">And here's another photo from Zhangjiajie.</span></div><br />My experience in Germany has made me come to the realization that I myself am an immigrant. &nbsp;I'm saying this out loud, and it's a bit weird to write it, but it's the truth -- I don't know when I'm moving back to the United States. &nbsp;For now, I'm an expat in Shanghai because at this point, my time here is limited, I'm not integrated into the local community (though I am learning the language), and I can't see myself settling here permanently. &nbsp;In Germany, I'm an immigrant and not an expat. &nbsp;I've integrated myself into the local community and it's my second home. &nbsp;The United States is my <i>Heimat</i> (homeland), but Germany is <i>zu Hause</i> (home).<br /><br />So returning to the question, am I an expat squared? &nbsp;No, I'm not, and it is precisely the distinction between expats and immigrants that makes all the difference. &nbsp;I'm not going to change the name of this blog again, but I've given a lot of thought to "expat" and "immigrant" and my own experiences. &nbsp;In Germany, I don't really know what the expat scene is like. &nbsp;I did my master's at the local university, and it helps that Christian is from Düsseldorf so I've gotten to know local Düsseldorfer. &nbsp;Here in Shanghai, I'm naturally a part of the expat community because of my limited language skills. &nbsp;Even if I wanted to become more integrated, it's going to take more time than it did in Germany and based on the fact that my time here is limited (for now), it's unlikely that becoming integrated is possible. &nbsp;And even if it were, the question is if I would want to stay here on a more permanent basis, for which the answer currently is "no." <br /><br />The actual truth is that this blog should probably be called Expat Turned Immigrant Turned Expat. &nbsp;Originally, I was an expat in Germany, but turned out to be an immigrant and now I'm an expat again. &nbsp;But that's an overly complex name, and nobody would be able to remember it.pleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09357319679260809789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11366735.post-19881930643079995912015-03-28T14:46:00.000+01:002015-05-23T16:07:03.613+02:00Chinese vs German Bureaucracy: A ComparisonThe New York Times recently wrote <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/14/world/asia/chinas-growing-middle-class-chafes-against-red-tape.html"> an article </a>about the Chinese middle class and the maze of red tape citizens here experience. &nbsp;For example, the article talks about married women having to get a mandatory birth permit which&nbsp;actually expires after two years, and applying for student loans require as many as 26 official seals on various documents. &nbsp;Although I've only been here for five months, I totally get that article. &nbsp;And the funny thing is that I thought German bureaucracy was terrible. &nbsp;It really isn't. &nbsp;Here are some of my observations comparing the two, though of course this is only just scratching the surface.<br /><div class="separator"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0iY4f1EHH5I/VRZJcwPqmBI/AAAAAAAABks/BGBerc0hrMo/s1600/bureaucratic_docs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0iY4f1EHH5I/VRZJcwPqmBI/AAAAAAAABks/BGBerc0hrMo/s1600/bureaucratic_docs.jpg" width="575" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Some of the paperwork required as a foreigner here in China. </span></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></div><a name='more'></a><br /><h4>Registering yourself at the local authorities </h4><i> German government: </i>Before you come to the registration office, make sure you bring your original apartment lease and your passport. <br /><i> Chinese government: </i>Before you come to the police station to register, make sure you bring your original apartment lease, your passport, a copy of your landlord's ID, and a copy of your landlord's house ownership certificate. &nbsp;And when you get here, we'll tell you that what you need is actually your original apartment lease, your passport, a copy of your landlord's ID, a copy of your landlord's house ownership certificate, and a residence certificate from the estate management or neighborhood community. &nbsp;You won't have any idea what any of it is, of course, but you need to have it with you, otherwise we'll send you away to come back when you have all of it. <br /><i> Commonality: </i>You'll probably be given a grumbling look regardless of what paperwork you do or don't have. &nbsp;I actually didn't have all the paperwork when I re-registered myself here in China after changing my visa type, even though I looked at the list my visa agent had given me about 20 times. &nbsp;I basically just waved all my paperwork at the guy's face and told him in my basic Chinese, "I don't know what you mean!" &nbsp;He rolled his eyes and registered me anyway. &nbsp;Lesson learned: Just be sassy right back at them, even if your language skills are basic. <br /><h4> Getting a work permit as a foreigner </h4><i> German government: </i>You can't work in Germany as a non-EU citizen unless you have a special skill that nobody else can offer and you're getting paid at least this very specific amount of euros. &nbsp; We do make the exception that if you're a "highly qualified professional," which we deem are scientists and engineers because you know, this is Germany, or if you've gotten a degree at one of our free universities, you can find a job here of your choosing. &nbsp;These are the rules and you must follow them, but we've outlined them clearly so you can figure it out yourself. <br /><i> Chinese government: </i>You can't work in China as a foreigner unless you have a special skill, though it's kind of a grey area. &nbsp;We have multiple business visa types and some companies will offer you one visa and not the other, but you should make sure you have the right one. &nbsp;How do you know which one is the right one? &nbsp;Google that. &nbsp;Oh wait, haha, Google's blocked. &nbsp;Baidu it even though the search results are rubbish if it's not in Chinese. &nbsp;And because that won't work, you'll probably hire a visa agent anyway. <br /><i> Commonality: </i>Basically you need to offer some skill that the locals can't provide, which is why so many people wind up teaching their native language. &nbsp;This isn't really that surprising. <br />The difference though is that Germany has very clear-cut rules that are outlined on an official website somewhere in both German and English. &nbsp;China's rules are very grey and not really outlined well at all. &nbsp;I've also found many of their websites just don't work properly or aren't updated regularly. &nbsp;Looking it up on the internet, you'll find so many different answers that it seems like finding the right one is as easy as spotting the Loch Ness Monster. &nbsp;What people say in forums versus what you hear people talk about versus what you actually experience can be very different. <br /><h4> Changing your visa from one to another when living in the country already </h4><i> German government: </i>&nbsp;As an American citizen, you can just change it here in Germany. &nbsp;But we'll need to see your marriage license, your passport, a copy of your partner's German passport, a copy of your apartment lease, proof of your insurance, a biometric photo, and this very specific application form which is available in German, English, French, Italian, Greek, Turkish, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian. &nbsp;It'll take up to six weeks to process and will cost you 110€. <br /><i> Chinese government </i>&nbsp;Brace yourself because this is going to take at least two months to complete if you have all the correct paperwork, but you're also going to have to go back to your home country or try your luck in Hong Kong. &nbsp;If you go to Hong Kong, it's not guaranteed you'll actually get the visa you need because they could turn you down. &nbsp;But first, you need to apply for an alien employment license and invitation letter of Duly Authorized Unit. &nbsp;We won't explain to you what exactly that is. &nbsp;Then you'll have to leave the country and get a visa from your local Chinese consulate or go to Hong Kong. &nbsp;Once you come back into the country, then you have to apply for your residence permit. &nbsp;We'll need at least 12 documents from you: your passport, your resume, copy of the company business license where you want to work, a copy of the company's organization code license, a copy of the company approval certificate, copies of your university degrees, reference letters from foreign companies that prove you have at least two years' experience in the field where you're working, your employment contract, your temporary residence permit, a health test that you have completed here in China, seven passport photos, your alien employment license, and an invitation letter of Duly Authorized Unit. &nbsp;You can't possibly do any of this by yourself because you're a foreigner and we won't provide any forms in anything but Chinese. &nbsp;So just go find yourself a nice visa agent who will guide you through the process. <br /><i> Commonality: </i>&nbsp;Not much. &nbsp;I did indeed have to leave China and chose to go back to Germany to apply for my new visa. &nbsp;I was only allowed to do this and didn't have to fly back to the U.S. because I still have permanent residency in Germany. <br />When I first arrived in China, I was on an S1 visa that allowed me to be in the country as the spouse of a foreigner working here, but I wasn't allowed to work. &nbsp;After finding a job, I had to change it to a Z visa. &nbsp;Luckily the company I'm working for has a visa agent (whose name is Magic, I kid you not) who helped me through the entire process. &nbsp;I had to first apply for some documents here in Shanghai that would then give me some new documents that I would submit to the Chinese consulate in Germany. &nbsp;Then the consulate in Germany would give me a new visa, with which I would use to come back to China and then apply for the residence permit. &nbsp;Does that sound confusing? &nbsp;It is. <br />I was so happy that I didn't have to go through the medical test again and was pleasantly surprised that I could use the one I originally went through when I first got to Shanghai. &nbsp;The medical test makes you feel like you're on an assembly line just going through all the different rooms and it's really far from where I live. &nbsp;And it was just one less thing to worry about, though admittedly I was nervous that Magic would come back and tell me that he made a mistake and that I would have to go through the medical exam again. <br />Back in Germany, I always complained about my visa costing 110€ or so. &nbsp;I shouldn't have because the visa and paperwork for it in China alone probably cost a little over 500€. &nbsp;That doesn't include the cost of my flight back to Germany; even if I had gone to Hong Kong to do a visa run, the cost of the flight and hotel together all adds up quite a bit. &nbsp;Add on the stress of hoping that the Frankfurt consulate would give me my passport back on time so I didn't have to change my flight back to Shanghai...it made for a very annoying experience. <br /><div class="separator"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--hepbFpsQgE/VRai8YIj_RI/AAAAAAAABk4/okDyvPWT5yc/s1600/pudong_skyline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--hepbFpsQgE/VRai8YIj_RI/AAAAAAAABk4/okDyvPWT5yc/s1600/pudong_skyline.jpg" width="575" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Paperwork isn't fun, so here's a non-filtered photo of where I live. </span></div><h4> Opening a bank account </h4><i> German bank: </i>You have to show us your passport, your residence permit, your registration form and depending on the bank, maybe even your job contract. &nbsp;There will be some forms to fill out, but it shouldn't take all that long and we can explain them to you since they're in German. &nbsp;We'll sign you up for online banking if you want, but it's really easy to do transfers at the banking terminal without a real live teller anyway. <br /><i> Chinese bank: </i>You have to show us your passport, your residence permit, your temporary residence permit, and your job contract. &nbsp;You'll have to fill out these forms, none of which you can actually read nor will we explain them to you, but it's fine because nobody reads them. &nbsp;We won't tell you about online banking at all since you probably won't use it anyway; the website only works using Windows and Internet Explorer. &nbsp;And transfers? &nbsp;Good luck on figuring that out, but everyone just asks for cash anyway. &nbsp;Oh, and sorry, we're having problems verifying your American social security number with your passport number. &nbsp;You'll have to come back some other day because we can't open your bank account right now. &nbsp;Lastly -- why can't you speak Chinese? &nbsp;You look Chinese. &nbsp;Aren't you Chinese? &nbsp;What's wrong with you? <br /><i> Commonality: </i>&nbsp;I find it weird that you have to ask for online banking in either country and that it's not a given. &nbsp;It's even worse that online banking here only works on Windows and IE, but apparently it's a very common issue here in Asia. <br />I did actually have problems opening a bank account here because there were issues verifying my social security number and my American passport number. &nbsp;I don't really know why, and I did have to go back and spend another hour of my life trying to open the account. &nbsp;And yes, they actually asked Ningxin, who was helping me open the bank account, not once, not twice, but <i> <u> three times</u></i> what was wrong with me and why I couldn't speak Chinese. <br /><h4> Verdict </h4>Chinese bureaucracy is bureaucracy at its best, and by "best," I mean the worst. &nbsp;You need paperwork to get more paperwork to submit and get more stamps and pay this fee and it's just a never ending whirlwind of documents. &nbsp;Everything also seems a bit grey; the websites never detail anything and you just sort of do what you're told, no questions asked. &nbsp;Part of it is not being able to speak the language and having to blindly trust the visa agent. &nbsp;I've been fortunate enough that my job has covered the expenses for me and they were already in touch with Magic, but I can't imagine having to do this all on your own. &nbsp;In Germany, it's completely possible to get your residence permit and visa on your own, even if you don't know the language. &nbsp;It's a little more accommodating there, but it's probably because of the EU and Europe is such a small place. &nbsp;When my friends who used to live in China tell me it became tiring to have to renew their visas every year, I believe it. <br />If and when I leave China, all I know is that there is also paperwork involved to make it official. &nbsp;In Germany, I don't know how it works, so maybe someone can enlighten me. &nbsp;But friends living in Germany who are not German: really, the bureaucracy in Germany isn't that bad.pleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09357319679260809789noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11366735.post-71952041025484994322015-02-18T11:07:00.000+01:002015-02-19T11:35:15.769+01:00Pictures are Worth 1,000 WordsI know I haven't written recently much, but there are so many topics I still want to cover that I haven't gotten around to: the pains of changing my visa, the difference between being an "expat" and an "immigrant," the joys of being an American-born Chinese person and struggling with the language, starting work in a Chinese office...but I admittedly haven't gotten around to it. &nbsp;I'll get to those in the future, I promise.<br /><br />What I've actually been doing a lot of recently is taking photos in the subway. &nbsp;I have a 45-minute commute one way, so I have a long enough ride that I can people-watch. &nbsp;And people-watching in the Shanghai subway is...interesting. &nbsp;For one, everyone is on their smartphone watching videos and they ignore people they're with or forget to actually get off at the correct stop. &nbsp;I even learned the term for these people in Mandarin -- 低头族 (ditou zu), smartphone addicts, or I think the literal rough translation would be "those who keep their heads bowed." &nbsp;(I learned this from listening to some podcast)<br /><br />There's been some really funny/odd/disgusting things I've seen in the subway, and I've sent them to some people swearing I need to start a blog or hashtag, #shitiseeontheshanghaisubway. &nbsp;So here are things that I've seen and observed.<br /><br /><h3>There's the odd exception:</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1AumfdM-LqY/VOROxHwG2GI/AAAAAAAABiM/ZxyCfi2bVzE/s1600/AdobePhotoshopExpress_a890171a3b644c3681283839b27b7c0d.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1AumfdM-LqY/VOROxHwG2GI/AAAAAAAABiM/ZxyCfi2bVzE/s1600/AdobePhotoshopExpress_a890171a3b644c3681283839b27b7c0d.jpg" width="596" /></a></div><br />I took this photo today in the Lujiazui subway station at rush hour. &nbsp;For those of you who are unfamiliar with Shanghai, Lujiazui is the financial district. &nbsp;Normally at rush hour, this station is overflowing with people shoving and elbowing their way onto the escalator, and it's total chaos. &nbsp;Today, it was like an apocalyptic movie with it being the first day of the Chinese New Year holidays. &nbsp;There was hardly anyone in the station. &nbsp;I basically just went around taking pictures of the empty city, but this is the empty station, which is very rare indeed.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><h3>There's the matching ridiculousness that goes on:</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HvsxOr3kCFk/VORNLGFa8AI/AAAAAAAABh0/3_b1BKNODpo/s1600/WP_20150218_09_04_46_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HvsxOr3kCFk/VORNLGFa8AI/AAAAAAAABh0/3_b1BKNODpo/s1600/WP_20150218_09_04_46_Pro.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2jdCNzIv4Ns/VORNLYjeR2I/AAAAAAAABhw/xH1PC2ph_Hw/s1600/WeChatImage635598723576279584.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2jdCNzIv4Ns/VORNLYjeR2I/AAAAAAAABhw/xH1PC2ph_Hw/s1600/WeChatImage635598723576279584.jpg" height="198" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Matching outfits! &nbsp;Yes! &nbsp;(I'm being sarcastic.) &nbsp;The two kids on the left, poor souls, had matching Paul Frank coats and the mom and her son on the right had matching skull coats. &nbsp;The photo on the right is actually thanks to my colleague Shani because I was telling her about all the ridiculous things I've seen on the subway. &nbsp;Surprisingly, this coordinated outfit thing isn't limited to kids or kids and their parents. &nbsp;I can't even say how often I see couples in matching outfits, from their hats down to their socks and sneakers. &nbsp;Every time I see it, it makes me cringe. &nbsp;On the other hand, I wonder if they have matching outfits because they haggled and got a great deal for it? &nbsp;Chinese people love to get a great deal, but it's a bit tacky in my book to wear a matching outfit with anyone on purpose. &nbsp;Accidentally? &nbsp;Then it's ok, but you'll probably still get mocked for it.&nbsp;</div><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></h3><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There's the smartphone addicts who make great parents:</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-addS5zNIN0w/VORNF7oyl6I/AAAAAAAABhE/oNCn7tVz40o/s1600/WP_20150210_09_22_51_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-addS5zNIN0w/VORNF7oyl6I/AAAAAAAABhE/oNCn7tVz40o/s1600/WP_20150210_09_22_51_Pro.jpg" height="200" width="199" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-86uGdZtxMAQ/VORSmv3Nz3I/AAAAAAAABig/vHYzLBa_VNQ/s1600/WP_20141124_22_14_08_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-86uGdZtxMAQ/VORSmv3Nz3I/AAAAAAAABig/vHYzLBa_VNQ/s1600/WP_20141124_22_14_08_Pro.jpg" height="198" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>On the left, take a look at the little girl in the pink jacket sitting down. &nbsp;Who's her mom, you wonder? &nbsp;Or is the little girl by herself? &nbsp;It took me awhile to realize it, but the woman standing in the red coat <i>with her back to the little girl</i> is actually her mom. &nbsp;I only figured it out because she put her phone down once and said something to her daughter. &nbsp;On the right, you can see the little girl is amusing herself with a birthday hat or something while her mom is glued to her phone <i>with her headphones on</i>. &nbsp;I also thought the little girl might be by herself, but her mom said something to her without taking the headphones out. <br /><br />You might argue with me that I just happened to take a photo when these moms were looking at their phones. &nbsp;Sadly, that wasn't the case. &nbsp;I observed these mothers ignoring their daughters for the whole ride. &nbsp;And unfortunately, this happens so frequently that I'd actually say it's the norm. &nbsp;At New Year's, there was a table of adults behind us, and one of the guys at the table was playing on his iPad <i>the whole time</i> and ignored his friends or family, whichever they were. &nbsp;Couples go on dates and ignore each other, which makes me wonder if they're writing to each other on their phones. <br /><br />When I first arrived here in Shanghai, I was impressed with how everyone is so connected and everyone seems to have the latest iPhone or Xiaomi or Samsung smartphone. &nbsp;But I think the connectivity affects how people interact with each other, where people just don't want to converse and they'd rather watch their favorite show instead. &nbsp;And as I mentioned already, this is normal here.<br /><h3></h3><h3><br /></h3><h3>There's the purely disgusting people:</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hYGK9TTFB3U/VORNEgf0OHI/AAAAAAAABgw/XhUg2Un6ap0/s1600/WP_20150205_002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hYGK9TTFB3U/VORNEgf0OHI/AAAAAAAABgw/XhUg2Un6ap0/s1600/WP_20150205_002.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a>&nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kNL672x3Xq8/VORNGmuz-hI/AAAAAAAABhQ/2-sDj2rSCbs/s1600/WP_20150210_09_27_11_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kNL672x3Xq8/VORNGmuz-hI/AAAAAAAABhQ/2-sDj2rSCbs/s1600/WP_20150210_09_27_11_Pro.jpg" height="200" width="199" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>OK, I'm not looking for disgusting people on the subway. &nbsp;I'm really not. &nbsp;But sometimes it's hard not to see them, and unfortunately, I think what people put up with here, what westerners consider disgusting, might be more acceptable. &nbsp;Let's take the guy on the left. &nbsp;He was picking his nose the entire 30 minutes he was sitting next to me on the train. &nbsp;I tried really hard to ignore him, but it was like he was digging for oil there. &nbsp;I also scooted away once there was space, but it seems that picking your nose in public is apparently acceptable because I see it all. the. time. &nbsp;Not only that, I've noticed that men here will often have one fingernail much longer than the others. &nbsp;And by "much longer," I'm meaning creepy long, something that I don't even have because I can't type with long nails. &nbsp;Anyway, the purpose of having the one long fingernail? &nbsp;So you can find gold up your nose! &nbsp;I wish I could tell you I was making this up, but I'm really not that creative. &nbsp;I asked Ningxin when I first came to China if there was a beauty aesthetic with the nail, and she was like, "Nope, it's for picking your nose."<br /><br />Speaking of fingernails, we have the guy in the photo on the right who just decided to cut them on the train. &nbsp;Maybe this is just me, but I find it particularly repulsive to have fingernails flying left and right, not to mention the noise it makes rubs me the wrong way. &nbsp;Unfortunately, this also seems to be a thing that Chinese people find OK to do in public. &nbsp;I know people in the office cut their nails and I just wonder why they can't take the five minutes to do it at home. &nbsp;I think cutting your nails in public is something I've heard of people observing on the subway in New York City, but I am personally generally not OK with it. &nbsp;This is the face I make when I see these things on the subway:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q8g-fLAzlFM/VORNEomo-OI/AAAAAAAABg0/MVarmP8Tg0E/s1600/WP_20150205_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q8g-fLAzlFM/VORNEomo-OI/AAAAAAAABg0/MVarmP8Tg0E/s1600/WP_20150205_001.jpg" height="320" width="318" /></a></div><br />That is my grossed out face, everyone. &nbsp;Well, one of them. &nbsp;That particular one is what I sent to a friend to explain my reaction to the guy picking his nose. &nbsp;So if you run into me on the subway and I've got that face on, I'm probably disgusted with something.<br /><h3></h3><h3><br /></h3><h3>There's the eternal sleeping:</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rEBXA05PmFI/VORNEhTEDNI/AAAAAAAABg8/-UH8aOFlNfw/s1600/WP_20150203_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rEBXA05PmFI/VORNEhTEDNI/AAAAAAAABg8/-UH8aOFlNfw/s1600/WP_20150203_001.jpg" height="200" width="198" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UsjJ0ascbuc/VORNHHexEOI/AAAAAAAABhM/ZBa_kCzZ8Ds/s1600/WP_20150216_07_10_14_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UsjJ0ascbuc/VORNHHexEOI/AAAAAAAABhM/ZBa_kCzZ8Ds/s1600/WP_20150216_07_10_14_Pro.jpg" height="200" width="198" /></a></div><br />People sleep here on the subway a lot. &nbsp;I know people have told me before that they've been impressed that I can fall asleep basically anywhere, so maybe it's a genetic thing and Chinese people are just really good at sleeping where ever they are. &nbsp;The woman in the photo on the left was dead asleep and wound up waking up at the end of the line where I got off. &nbsp;She also got off, looked around puzzled, realized that she had missed her stop, and got back on the train. &nbsp;The woman in the photo on the right was sleeping at the station and possibly waiting for someone. &nbsp;In other countries if I saw a person sleeping at a subway station like this, my assumption would be either a. they're super drunk and fell asleep there, or b. they're homeless. &nbsp;However, this person was clearly neither because a. the subway closes down so early that you can't fall asleep drunk in the subway station to be found the next morning and b. the area where I took this isn't really where a homeless person would live. &nbsp;Which is why I concluded they were waiting for someone and just fell asleep.<br /><br /><h3><br /></h3><h3>There's the excitement when the train is emptier than usual:</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w1Ys_ZhTcBQ/VORNKwUkO-I/AAAAAAAABhs/Qarg5_sKucc/s1600/WP_20150218_09_02_29_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w1Ys_ZhTcBQ/VORNKwUkO-I/AAAAAAAABhs/Qarg5_sKucc/s1600/WP_20150218_09_02_29_Pro.jpg" height="199" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_p4MkfheFbg/VOROxZy7cwI/AAAAAAAABiQ/m5ZScv9IGcE/s1600/AdobePhotoshopExpress_515499e542644ec3bcc438a9f7cdce0a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_p4MkfheFbg/VOROxZy7cwI/AAAAAAAABiQ/m5ZScv9IGcE/s1600/AdobePhotoshopExpress_515499e542644ec3bcc438a9f7cdce0a.jpg" height="199" width="200" /></a></div><br />The photo on the left was today during rush hour on line 2. &nbsp;Line 2 is the worst when it's not Chinese New Year, but I took that picture just to show how exciting it was that there was space on the train. &nbsp;Moreover, you can see that everyone has suitcases because they're all traveling home for the Chinese New Year holiday. &nbsp;The photo on the right was when I took the last train home one evening at around 11 pm from Jing'an Temple. &nbsp;Again, it was also on line 2 and it was so amazing how empty it was that you could actually see down the entire train. &nbsp;Normally when I'm on the 2, I'm squashed into someone's backpack with another person's head in my face and I'm gasping for air (thankfully I'm taller than average here, so it works out fine).<br /><h3></h3><h3><br /></h3><h3>And lastly, there's the absolute cuteness:</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xh_KKI_gKNs/VORc35MCByI/AAAAAAAABiw/x3sQbB1RIDQ/s1600/WP_20150129_001%231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xh_KKI_gKNs/VORc35MCByI/AAAAAAAABiw/x3sQbB1RIDQ/s1600/WP_20150129_001%231.jpg" height="200" width="199" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b813c5oovtY/VORdERAUT1I/AAAAAAAABjA/AOpCmlXcKDM/s1600/WP_20150216_19_53_02_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b813c5oovtY/VORdERAUT1I/AAAAAAAABjA/AOpCmlXcKDM/s1600/WP_20150216_19_53_02_Pro.jpg" height="200" width="199" /></a>&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HERilviR3QE/VORdCSh77cI/AAAAAAAABi4/iAa2Aeea2I4/s1600/WP_20150217_09_09_26_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HERilviR3QE/VORdCSh77cI/AAAAAAAABi4/iAa2Aeea2I4/s1600/WP_20150217_09_09_26_Pro.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The first photo I took because this baby was super cute in (presumably) her pink onesie that looked warm as hell. &nbsp;Plus the onesie had little feet and the hood had bunny ears. &nbsp;The dad was cuddling with the baby the whole time, while the mom was (unsurprisingly) looking at her phone. &nbsp;I should also point out the weird furry boots the mom is wearing. &nbsp;That's also a common sight here in China, but I'm not categorizing it with "absolute cuteness." &nbsp;The second photo was of a little girl with her mom. &nbsp;The little girl had this penguin hat which had these long flaps that came down with pockets at the end to keep your hands warm. &nbsp;Cute and ingenious! &nbsp;And the last photo was because of the little boy's backpack, which is a fish. &nbsp;How adorable is that? &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Stuff for kids here is incredibly cute, I'll admit that. &nbsp;But it weirds me out when this then extends to things for adults that are supposed to be "cute," but by western standards just come off as, well, childish. &nbsp;Seeing grown women with a large collection of stuffed animals in the back of their cars (like a life-sized Stitch doll, as in, Lilo &amp; Stitch, which yes, I have experienced here) or grown women with a Dora the Explorer luggage decorated with Hello Kitty stickers while also carrying a Michael Kors bag (real or not) is just sort of this weird dichotomy where I can't take these people seriously. &nbsp;I get it, things for kids are cute, but please stop buying these cute things for yourself.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There's a lot of other stuff I've seen on the subway which I haven't gotten pictures of -- men holding their girlfriends' or wives' purses, a Chinese guy with very impressive fro-y dreadlocks, the amount of food people eat, the fantastic (by which I mean really funny/hilarious/terrible) knock-off products that people have...the list goes on. &nbsp;I might add more stuff as the year goes on because I'm sure that I'll be seeing some really amazing things once summer comes. &nbsp;Or I'll just be terribly grumpy because it'll be really hot and the train will be really full, as always. &nbsp;We'll see what happens.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>pleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09357319679260809789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11366735.post-569412699168145572015-01-04T12:06:00.001+01:002015-01-04T12:43:12.821+01:005 Apps Making My Life Easier in ChinaOne major difference between the first time I moved abroad and this time around is having a smartphone. &nbsp;Admittedly, I was a bit slow to jump on the smartphone bandwagon and only got one at the beginning of 2014. &nbsp;My main reason to finally cave was because working at a tech company, my colleagues would laugh mercilessly at my old school Sony Ericsson, but I also wanted a new compact digital camera. &nbsp;I figured I'd just get a phone with a great camera, which is why I decided to get *gasp* the Nokia Lumia 1020, a Windows Phone.<br /><br />Since getting here to Shanghai, I've really come to appreciate having a Windows Phone because the native apps aren't blocked here. &nbsp;Frankly, I don't get how Android works in China since the majority of Google services are blocked; even <a href="http://mashable.com/2014/12/30/china-unblocks-gmail/">Gmail has been blocked</a> via protocol (supposedly it's working again, but I haven't gotten any emails from my Gmail account on my phone for days). &nbsp;Some may argue that there aren't any good WP apps available out there and everything is being developed for iOS and Android. &nbsp;This may be true, but by doing some research and following sites like <a href="http://www.windowscentral.com/">Windows Central</a>, I've found some great apps that have helped me greatly here in China. &nbsp;Here are five apps that have made adjusting to life here much easier. &nbsp;(Note that I'm not including photo apps here because although they're great to have, these apps are really about adjusting to life here in China.)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3ogPh04aDEM/VKkg7vrnH_I/AAAAAAAABeM/oCvI4N0Rsc8/s1600/maps.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3ogPh04aDEM/VKkg7vrnH_I/AAAAAAAABeM/oCvI4N0Rsc8/s1600/maps.png" height="171" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><a name='more'></a><h3>1. &nbsp;HERE Maps</h3><br />I've been using HERE Maps pretty much since I got the phone and knew it was pretty handy when abroad since I can use maps offline if I download them beforehand. &nbsp;While in Budapest, London, and India, this was extremely practical when trying to get around on foot and public transportation. &nbsp;Moreover, it has the metro and bus stations and stops directly on the map.<br /><br />In Shanghai, this has been helpful because I don't need to use what little data I have on a prepaid plan to find my way around. &nbsp;I've started using location services all the time because I never know where I am. &nbsp;HERE Maps makes it easy to save places and look them up. &nbsp;I appreciate the fact that I can search in pinyin and Chinese characters as well as English versus Chinese address format without having to change any language preferences. &nbsp;For example, I can search by entering "Zhongshan Road, Shanghai" or I can input, "上海市中山路". &nbsp;I can even search by putting in "Zhongshan Lu, Shanghai" and mix the English pinyin and format and still find what I'm looking for.<br /><br />Also quite handy is having the exits for each metro stop easily visible on the entire map. &nbsp;Here in Shanghai, metro stations can have 20-odd exits and be really enormous, like the People's Square stop. &nbsp;Normally I look up where I'm going and check out the closest exit which makes getting around much easier.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="margin: 0 auto; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UpCZnRFszZs/VKkTwJ8WcpI/AAAAAAAABcM/Ui3EhnAm6Qc/s1600/heremaps1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UpCZnRFszZs/VKkTwJ8WcpI/AAAAAAAABcM/Ui3EhnAm6Qc/s320/heremaps1.png" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jiZVZ8Vfxfg/VKkTxjJmqLI/AAAAAAAABcU/hsBxaBqi7CQ/s1600/heremaps2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jiZVZ8Vfxfg/VKkTxjJmqLI/AAAAAAAABcU/hsBxaBqi7CQ/s320/heremaps2.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><h3>2. &nbsp;YiXue Chinese Dictionary</h3><br />I don't know how I found this app, but it's helped me learn written Chinese really easily. &nbsp;It's a straightforward app that allows me to look up words in English, pinyin, and Chinese characters (both traditional and simplified!). &nbsp;This is good because sometimes I know the pinyin and want to know what the character looks like, sometimes I know what the character is but don't know the English meaning or pinyin, or I just know the English and need to know the Chinese, both pinyin and character. &nbsp;Of course, this means I've installed different Chinese input keyboards on my phone too -- the ability to enter pinyin like a regular keyboard and then one that recognizes handwriting. &nbsp;And my phone doesn't care about stroke order like my Chinese teacher would; as long as I get it close enough, it'll give me a list of suggestions that I can choose from.<br /><br />What's also great about YiXue is that I have the ability to create lists of words. &nbsp;Currently, I've created two lists -- Common Vocabulary, which are words I see all the time when I'm out and about, and Tuttle Vocabulary, which are words I'm learning to write based on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tuttle-Learning-Chinese-Characters-Revolutionary/dp/080483816X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1420361744&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=tuttle+learning+chinese+characters">this book</a>. &nbsp;The app also has the default list of HSK Level 1 vocabulary, so all the words for the first level official Chinese language test are in one place. &nbsp;Moreover, the lists can be used in study mode, which is like having flashcards, and then different games to test your knowledge. &nbsp;It can test you on Chinese character + pinyin, pinyin + English meaning, etc.<br /><br />Also what's fantastic for learning the language is that YiXue shows you sentences with the word you've looked up so you can see some context. &nbsp;Anyone who's learned a language knows that context is everything, so being able to see the word in action has given me a better understanding of how to use specific keywords. &nbsp;YiXue even shows you the sentences in simplified and traditional, which again, is super helpful depending on where you are or in my case, when I might know the word in traditional writing but not simplified.<br /><br />The only thing I would love to have on this app is that the words that I keep forgetting would pop up more frequently or that I could create a separate list from the ones that haven't stuck in my memory. &nbsp;I talked to Christian and I actually couldn't find a similar app for his iPhone. &nbsp;YiXue is definitely the best app helping out with the language barrier and I would recommend it to anyone even just traveling in China. &nbsp;The app is free, but if you pay the $2 to unlock it, you're not limited to only three searches per session, no ads, and a few other things. &nbsp;To be honest, the two bucks is probably the best money I've spent on any app.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0 auto; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gKMbyxjyToc/VKkVLI_UxlI/AAAAAAAABcg/_o02HadHcrI/s1600/yixue1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gKMbyxjyToc/VKkVLI_UxlI/AAAAAAAABcg/_o02HadHcrI/s320/yixue1.png" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-af6m7uevKRg/VKkVMg-SVeI/AAAAAAAABco/AqJEALvta7Y/s1600/yixue2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-af6m7uevKRg/VKkVMg-SVeI/AAAAAAAABco/AqJEALvta7Y/s320/yixue2.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><h3>3. &nbsp;BJ Air</h3><br />Being an expat in China, you learn to accept the idea that leaving the apartment means dealing with the pollution. &nbsp;I don't think Shanghai's pollution is nearly as bad as Beijing's, like how this <a href="http://www.handelsblatt.com/technologie/energie-umwelt/umwelt-news/pekings-dicke-luft-leben-in-der-smoghauptstadt/11178494.html">Handelsblatt article</a> talks about a flight being grounded and not being able to return to the terminal because the smog was so thick. &nbsp;Even so, I've found myself constantly checking the Air Quality Index on my phone so I know when I shouldn't go outside for longer periods of time or if I need to wear a face mask (yes, I've adopted wearing a face mask because the pollution is horrendous compared to Germany or the US).<br /><br />There are multiple apps out there available, so I'm not necessarily praising BJ Air in particular, but just mentioning how convenient it is to have this information available on my phone. &nbsp;What I like in particular about BJ Air and the Windows Phone is that I don't have to open the app to see the information -- the Live Tile shows me the information directly and is as easy as checking the time. &nbsp;BJ Air is a simple, elegant app that gives me what I need at a glance. &nbsp;It only has the information for Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Chengdu, so for people in other cities, this app isn't really helpful.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: auto; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YesL7-czbZo/VKkWDfhE06I/AAAAAAAABc4/BbpSzaHXE8Y/s1600/bjair1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YesL7-czbZo/VKkWDfhE06I/AAAAAAAABc4/BbpSzaHXE8Y/s320/bjair1.png" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A4TAUG31Xmg/VKkWDn5ZE5I/AAAAAAAABc8/CNBfG7tu7_s/s1600/bjair2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A4TAUG31Xmg/VKkWDn5ZE5I/AAAAAAAABc8/CNBfG7tu7_s/s320/bjair2.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><h3>4. &nbsp;Bing Translator</h3><br />I've actually started using Bing a lot more here in China just because Google is blocked. &nbsp;So when I'm on-the-go, my go-to search engine is Bing since I don't feel like having to turn on my VPN over cellular data (I get the feeling that it's just too slow and that drives me nuts). &nbsp;The Bing Translator app is surprisingly pretty good and even allows me to translate things offline since I downloaded the Chinese-English language pack.<br /><br />I actually use the Bing Translator most often to translate text messages that I get from China Mobile telling me how much money I owe them or whatever other random messages I get. &nbsp;It's pretty easy to copy + paste text into it, though the translation is frequently imperfect and requires some sort of deciphering (to be fair, Google Translate has its issues as well). &nbsp;I also can get pronunciation when I input the Chinese, which has also been good for learning the language.<br /><br />What's been a slight disappointment is the camera translator. &nbsp;Unless the Chinese is on a huge sign, for example, holding up my phone and trying to translate small text on packaging in the supermarket has been rather unsuccessful. &nbsp;Considering my camera has 41 megapixels, I would think this wouldn't be an issue, but it seems that the translator app and my camera don't really work very well together. &nbsp;Most of the time, the issue is that the camera can't focus and find the text, so it's actually easier for me to just input the text by entering it via the handwriting keyboard. &nbsp;Even so, the app still has its uses when I'm translating a sentence or more; if I need just one or two words, I'll use YiXue. &nbsp;I haven't tried out the voice translator yet, but I just feel dumb talking to my phone to translate something anyway.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: auto; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z9PP05lLDmo/VKkWhhENTeI/AAAAAAAABdM/SR1gJ_17mCA/s1600/bingtranslate2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z9PP05lLDmo/VKkWhhENTeI/AAAAAAAABdM/SR1gJ_17mCA/s320/bingtranslate2.png" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bJ2De4m_ft4/VKkWhJJBssI/AAAAAAAABdI/cAjBg9iPKzM/s1600/bingtranslate1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bJ2De4m_ft4/VKkWhJJBssI/AAAAAAAABdI/cAjBg9iPKzM/s320/bingtranslate1.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><h3>5. &nbsp;WeChat</h3><br />I've saved WeChat for last because this is an app that's rather specific to the Chinese market. &nbsp;Here in China, it's known as Weixin 微信, and is a messaging app kind of like WhatsApp. &nbsp;Except that I've described it to my friends as a WhatsApp-meets-Facebook app because it's got a lot more features on it, including video calls. &nbsp;So yes, WeChat has the functionality that you can send your friends messages like any other messaging app on there. &nbsp;One thing I particularly love in WeChat is the stickers, which are basically animated gifs. &nbsp;There's a lot of super cute ones that I use a lot, but it also has the ability to make your own stickers and I've had way too much fun looking for Liz Lemon gifs to use:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1g9Yd237avA/VKkYqIZfn-I/AAAAAAAABd8/pAvf48slKaA/s1600/selfhighfive.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1g9Yd237avA/VKkYqIZfn-I/AAAAAAAABd8/pAvf48slKaA/s1600/selfhighfive.gif" /></a></div><br />WeChat also makes it easy to connect to people, whether sharing a name card within a chat, using QR codes that you can scan to add a contact, or using a radar-type thing to add nearby people. &nbsp;It's also practical for group chats; I'm in a few different groups with 20+ more people that I don't even know and don't need to add them as contacts. &nbsp;These groups are for Middlebury alum, a meet-up group, a NESCAC alum group, etc.<br /><br />But WeChat is also like Facebook because you can post Moments, which is its equivalent of the Timeline/Newsfeed. &nbsp;You can comment and like things, but my favorite part of it is that only contacts that you and the other person have in common will see whatever activity you put on there. &nbsp;For example, if Christian posted a photo from our vacation and I wrote a comment on it, only our mutual contacts could see my comment. &nbsp;So his coworker that I don't have on WeChat won't see what I wrote, and if Christian and I have a conversation in comments, his coworker won't be bombarded with notifications if they also write something. &nbsp;Essentially, the only person who knows how much activity a specific post got is the person who actually created the post.<br /><br />Lastly, WeChat is good for following official accounts. &nbsp;For example, I follow the Shanghai Metro, one of the <a href="http://boondoxgarage.blogspot.com/2014/12/discovering-shanghai-via-its-vinyl.html">record stores</a> I found here, Buzzfeed, and a few others so that I get updates directly in WeChat. &nbsp;The information I get from them is more personalized; I specifically only wanted cute things from Buzzfeed (I admit it, I'm a sucker for their animal posts), so I actually only get content from them that they've labeled "cute." &nbsp;I recently read <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/02/chat-apps-increasingly-important-for-brands/">this article on TechCrunch</a> about how chat apps are the new form of social media, and frankly, this rings really true when you see WeChat in action.<br /><br />Essentially, nobody exchanges phone numbers here anymore. &nbsp;The first question when swapping contact information is, "What's your WeChat?" &nbsp;Even all the expats here use it. &nbsp;I only wish that more people outside China would use it because it's got a lot more features than WhatsApp and isn't as annoying as Facebook.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: auto; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HLSk4pZBLfU/VKkXIUQx_qI/AAAAAAAABdY/ZRcmDEl8mno/s1600/wechat1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HLSk4pZBLfU/VKkXIUQx_qI/AAAAAAAABdY/ZRcmDEl8mno/s320/wechat1.png" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1djJRjJJTa4/VKkXJd4n6nI/AAAAAAAABdg/UPWhyWoRdhA/s1600/wechat2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1djJRjJJTa4/VKkXJd4n6nI/AAAAAAAABdg/UPWhyWoRdhA/s320/wechat2.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>In addition to these five apps, there are others that I'm still figuring out how to use, like Didi Dache (the Chinese version of Uber) and Dianping (the Chinese version of Yelp). &nbsp;These are a little more complicated since they don't have English-language versions, but with Dianping, I've at least figured out how to find restaurants and browse through content. &nbsp;There's also one or two other apps I've been using, but these five were definitely the ones that I've been using on a daily basis and making adjusting to life in China way easier.<br /><br />And if you're interested in general UI trends in apps here in China, take a look at this <a href="http://dangrover.com/blog/2014/12/01/chinese-mobile-app-ui-trends.html">well-written article</a>&nbsp;for some great insight.pleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09357319679260809789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11366735.post-45873262387070017112014-12-12T17:40:00.000+01:002014-12-12T17:40:25.844+01:00Discovering Shanghai via Its Vinyl StoresNot only have I been <a href="http://boondoxgarage.blogspot.com/2014/12/figuring-out-chinese-e-commerce-websites.html">figuring out how to buy vinyl</a> on Taobao.com, I also decided that in a city as big as Shanghai, there had to be some interesting record shops I could discover. &nbsp;Again, the mentality is that maybe I can find interesting releases here easier than I could in Europe or North America. &nbsp;But actually going out and finding local record shops was also a good way to go exploring the city. &nbsp;I'm a huge proponent of public transportation, so this was also a great excuse to just ride around the metro. &nbsp;Shanghai is full of so many enormous malls and chain stores that seeking out some hole-in-the-wall, locally owned stores just really appealed to me.<br /><div><br /></div><div>Admittedly, I first started searching online, entering "Shanghai record shop" and "Shanghai vinyl store" into Google. &nbsp;I got a few articles, but most of them were from about two years ago or so. &nbsp;Realizing how quickly the city is changing, I didn't expect all of them to still be around since it seems like two years here is an eternity. &nbsp;Taking <a href="http://www.echinacities.com/Shanghai/city-guide/The-Shanghai-Music-Guide-Record-Stores-Equipment-Recording-Studios-Venues">this article</a> as my main point of reference along with <a href="http://matthayward.com/2013/01/01/buying-vinyl-records-in-shanghai.htm">this blog entry</a>&nbsp;and <a href="http://www.discogs.com/groups/topic/359901">this discussion on discogs.com</a>,&nbsp;I mapped out six record shops I wanted to visit, all of which were on the Puxi side of the city. &nbsp;(As an aside, one of the reasons why I'm writing this is to have updated information about these places out there.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Based purely on location, I decided to first visit the so-called "lamp fixtures market store" because the nearest metro station is also on the 7 line, which is the closest line to where I live. &nbsp;I found the market and the place where the shop supposedly was, but it looked closed. &nbsp;Disappointed, I left and went to check out <a href="http://uptownchina.com/">Uptown Records</a>. &nbsp;Similarly, I found the building where it was, but it too was not open. &nbsp;I wasn't sure if it was right or not because the entrance is beneath a residence building and it looks like you'll get murdered (see third image below for reference). At that point, I wasn't about to trek out to the other stores only to end up feeling like I wasted a whole day in case they weren't open. &nbsp;This was last Tuesday afternoon, and Uptown Records supposedly opened at 2. &nbsp;I was there at around 2:30 in the afternoon, so I figured it must've just been a fluke. &nbsp;Dejected, I went home and left the other shops for another day.</div><div><br /></div><div>Determined to figure out if these two stores actually were still open, I searched the internet for contact information and wrote them in English and Google-translated Chinese. &nbsp;The lamp fixtures market one wrote back saying he was still open. &nbsp;I knew Uptown was still open because when I was there and trying to figure out if I was the right place, I asked an old lady outside the building if she knew the store. &nbsp;All I could understand was that the day I visited, either the store wasn't open or was opening later.</div><div><a name='more'></a></div><div><br />Having evidence that the lamp fixtures market store is actually still in business, I went again midday on a Wednesday (the day before yesterday). &nbsp;And bingo, the place is indeed still in operation and actually called Vinyl Villa. &nbsp;(Note to anyone who is actually looking to find these place, I've detailed how to find the shops that are still open at the bottom of this article.) &nbsp;It's definitely not a touristy part of town and it's not a place that you would normally stumble across walking around since it's on the second floor of an actual lamp fixture market. &nbsp;If you look at the image below, that's what the complex looks like where Vinyl Villa is housed. &nbsp;The store isn't huge, but there is a good selection of vinyl to look through -- classic rock, jazz, funk/soul, hip-hop, and a small selection of punk. &nbsp;It looked like everything is secondhand and a mixed bag of Japanese, British, and American releases. &nbsp;I mostly took a look through the rock section and found that there was a lot of Elton John, REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, and Journey. &nbsp;Even so, I was surprised to find copies of <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Various+Artists/Happy+Meals,+Volume+1:+A+Smorgasbord+of+My+Favorite+Songs">Happy Meals Vol. 1</a> (a compilation with Nerf Herder on it which made me nostalgic for high school), Voodoo Glow Skulls' <i><a href="https://play.spotify.com/album/6ANmj9hLIEMzNeJGMXdLsW">The Band Geek Mafia</a></i>, and some <a href="https://play.spotify.com/artist/7ddEExcNWHxN2fwS1kTwkk">Potshot</a> records.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d5-mhb191fs/VIsQojMg0MI/AAAAAAAABZw/l12NTNpi_LQ/s1600/vinyl_villa.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d5-mhb191fs/VIsQojMg0MI/AAAAAAAABZw/l12NTNpi_LQ/s1600/vinyl_villa.png" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The light fixtures market where Vinyl Villa is</td></tr></tbody></table><div>It took me awhile to file through all of the rock bins. &nbsp;While I did, the music that the owner, Frank, played was seriously the most varied playlist. &nbsp;What I remember: something from Rammstein, Louis Armstrong's cover of "La Vie En Rose," "Carry on My Wayward Son" from Kansas, and "Ramblin' Man" from the Allman Brothers Band. &nbsp;I talked to him a little and commented about his taste in music; he told me he likes a lot of different genres but will never play punk or folk. &nbsp;While I was in the shop, I noticed he was taking pictures of the records and uploading them to his Taobao shop, which is probably how he gets the majority of his business. &nbsp;I wound up getting a Japanese copy of a Paul McCartney record as well as an American release of something from The Cars, both for 30 RMB each ($4.85/3.89€). &nbsp;As other websites commented, Frank speaks English fluently and he was so kind enough to tell me he would email me when the next shipment of records would arrive. &nbsp;I will obviously be going back.</div><div><br /></div><div>I also decided to try finding Uptown Records again since I knew it was also open. &nbsp;Going on a Friday afternoon, I sought out the random location, finding the little entrance with the sign pointing to the store (see image below) and feeling confident it would be open. &nbsp;I confirmed my initial guess where the entrance was since there was a sign noting that the owner would be back at 3:30 p.m. though it was already closer to 4 p.m. &nbsp;The entrance feels like it's the door to Narnia or something because it's in such a random place; but one thing to note is that there aren't any zoning laws in China separating commercial and residential areas, which is why an arrangement like this is possible. &nbsp;Figuring I didn't feel like coming back again to find it closed again, I decided to wait. &nbsp;Watching all the people go in to the entrance from the street (again, see this image below), I saw a girl about my age go in and not come back out. &nbsp;I thought she might be the person running the store and I was right.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CgXtQwnucfk/VIsQmB2IbYI/AAAAAAAABZY/uwMxUX942-M/s1600/uptown1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CgXtQwnucfk/VIsQmB2IbYI/AAAAAAAABZY/uwMxUX942-M/s1600/uptown1.png" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The street entrance to Uptown Records<br />with the small sign indicating you're at the right place.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>Uptown Records actually takes up the whole basement of the residence building, so it's quite large. &nbsp;The actual space for records takes up about two rooms, which they show on <a href="http://www.uptownchina.com/index.php?main_page=page&amp;id=8">their website</a>. &nbsp;It's a cool store to browse through the bins since there's a mix of old and new records. &nbsp;I was curious about some of the 7" records, so I asked the girl, Sophia, what her favorites were. &nbsp;She asked me what I liked (punk, garage rock, indie rock), and kindly let me play some of them on the record player hooked up in the store. &nbsp;I was the only person there, so I luckily wasn't annoying anyone. &nbsp;The selection there is really varied, ranging from classic rock to indie rock and punk, as well as house, electro, hip-hop, and pop. &nbsp;They also have some old Chinese records, which I didn't look through, though they did look interesting. <br /><br /></div><div>Generally, it looked like Uptown also hosts events and has a bar area, neither of which were open when I was there. &nbsp;They also sell some secondhand women's clothing that looked really funky, as well as books in Chinese. &nbsp;Like I said, it's quite a big place, but it's not all just vinyl. &nbsp;The new 7" records from local Chinese bands all cost 50 RMB ($8/6.50€), and full-length LPs had a range from about 60 RMB to 200 RMB. &nbsp;To give you an idea, I picked up a an original stereo copy of The Beatles' <i>Something New</i> for 120 RMB ($19.40/15.57€). &nbsp;So even when you go in to the building and feel like you're going to be murdered, you're actually in the correct place. &nbsp;Here's a picture of the entrance so you know what to look for:</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cEnrSDlWu18/VIsQnePn1ZI/AAAAAAAABZg/8NtQRryRVNk/s1600/uptown2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cEnrSDlWu18/VIsQnePn1ZI/AAAAAAAABZg/8NtQRryRVNk/s1600/uptown2.png" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No, you won't get murdered. &nbsp;It's like the door to Narnia, <br />but this is actually the entrance to Uptown Records.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>In addition to Vinyl Villa and Uptown, I tried finding Movie Star based on the <a href="http://matthayward.com/2013/01/01/buying-vinyl-records-in-shanghai.htm">blog entry</a>. &nbsp;It was pretty out of the way on metro line 9 and about a twenty-minute walk from the stop. &nbsp;This area of Shanghai is definitely not where tourists or expats hang out. &nbsp;All of the residential buildings are low-rise buildings, but not the beautiful old ones you find in the French Concession. &nbsp;There aren't any high-rises like in Pudong and the feel of the city there is what I imagine it to feel like in a less developed city here in China. &nbsp;Lastly, you don't want to be walking around with headphones on because you <b>will</b> be run over. &nbsp;Unfortunately, as cool as it sounded on that blog I found, Movie Star is no longer. &nbsp;The complex of buildings is now four restaurants (one of which is closed), one supermarket, and one massage place:</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pCnEjh-vkN4/VIsQlwhyl-I/AAAAAAAABZU/ROwO4rkcybI/s1600/former_movie_star.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pCnEjh-vkN4/VIsQlwhyl-I/AAAAAAAABZU/ROwO4rkcybI/s1600/former_movie_star.png" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Movie Star is unfortunately no longer.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>I also checked out Kook Music since a lot of the articles I found online had mentioned that it was a pretty cool place. &nbsp;However, that too is unfortunately closed and has now been converted to a real estate agent. &nbsp;I checked out the entry on <a href="http://www.dianping.com/photos/14131277">Dianping</a>&nbsp;(Chinese equivalent of Yelp) to see if I was in the right place, and though I didn't get a snapshot of the place, it's definitely not there anymore when I compared the two. &nbsp;Moreover, I tried the website that's in the Dianping photo and the domain seems to be available to buy. &nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>I didn't check out the last store, 2046 Music Record Store, based on the fact that it I read it only sells CDs and DVDs now. &nbsp;Thinking about how technology here is so up to speed, I don't even know if it's still open and didn't feel like trudging out there to have it closed.</div><div><br /></div><div>So to sum it all up, it seems that Vinyl Villa and Uptown Records were the only stores that are still open and selling records that I could find. &nbsp;There was another one I tried to find near the Changshu Road station, but it looked closed and I noticed it was in an area that was mostly for classical music; neighboring stores were all selling cellos, violins, and other classical music instruments. &nbsp;I figured that that probably didn't actually have what I was looking for. &nbsp;Even if only two out of the six shops I wanted to check out are open, I got to discover corners of the city that I would never otherwise visit. &nbsp;I also got to know the metro a little better, and that will always come in use. &nbsp;In the meantime, I'll continue visiting both Vinyl Villa and Uptown, and keep looking on Taobao.com for other records.</div><div><br /></div><div><hr /></div><div>Getting to <a href="http://weibo.com/u/3109826857">Vinyl Villa</a>&nbsp;(link is to their Weibo account, which is in Chinese)</div><div>Address:</div>58 Yejiazhai Road, 2F, near Changshou Road<br /><div>叶家宅路58事久市场二楼, 近长寿路</div><div><br /></div><div>Take the metro line 7 to Chang Shou Road (长寿路). &nbsp;Take exit 1 at the station if it's open (it wasn't when I was there), and just keep walking straight out of that exit along Changshou Road (长寿路). &nbsp;If not, take exit 7, cross the wide avenue in front of you, turn left, and keep walking straight along Changshou Road (长寿路). &nbsp;When you get to Yejiazhai Road (叶家宅路), turn right. &nbsp;You'll see the whole lights fixture market on the right side. &nbsp;There are multiple entrances. &nbsp;If you go into any of them, there will be a first row of stalls that's parallel to the street. &nbsp;When I looked, there only seemed to be one staircase here, so walk up the staircase. &nbsp;If you look at the image above, I think the staircase is roughly where the big 2 in black and yellow is. &nbsp;At the top of the staircase, you'll see a bunch of TVs and fridges for sale and Vinyl Villa is on the left. &nbsp;It's hard to miss. &nbsp;If it's not open, you'll know you've found it if the gate is down but you'll see some vinyl records hanging outside it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Getting to Uptown Records</div><div>Address:</div><div>115 Pingwu Road, basement, near Xingfu Road</div>平武路115号, 近幸福路<br /><div><br /></div><div>Take the metro line 11 or 10 to Jiaotong University (交通大学) and take exit 6. &nbsp;Turn left when you come out of the station and walk along Huashan Road (华山路). &nbsp;Take the first left after the park, which is Pingwu Road (平武路). &nbsp;Number 115 is actually a residential building, but there's a small entrance way next to where the residents go in with small sign letting you know you're in the right place (see image above). &nbsp;It might look completely wrong since there's a bunch of parking spaces and other stuff, but you're in the correct place. &nbsp;Walk down the ramp, hang a left, and then the door to Uptown Records is a red iron door next to a small staircase on your left. &nbsp;If you've walked to the end of the corridor, you've gone too far. &nbsp;If the store is open, the door is open and a light is on. &nbsp;If Uptown is closed, the light won't be on and you might not see the red door because it's kind of dark. &nbsp;See picture above for what the door looks like. &nbsp;Walk down the stairs to the bottom, go through the bunker-like door, and then the rooms with the records is on the left. &nbsp;You'll hear the music.</div>pleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09357319679260809789noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11366735.post-88726069176905127002014-12-08T14:10:00.000+01:002014-12-08T14:30:12.822+01:00Figuring Out Chinese E-Commerce WebsitesNow that I've been here for about a month, I'm starting to get into the daily grind of living in China. Most of my time is spent job searching, discovering the city, or doing mundane tasks like grocery shopping. The latter two are always an adventure since there's something new I'm going to learn or discover. For most people, shopping online is nothing difficult, but living in a country where my literacy is very limited is a challenge.<br /><br />In the last few years, I started buying vinyl records again because I like having the physical product. Quite often, new releases also come with an mp3 download code so I can listen on whatever digital device of my choosing. Additionally, I like a lot of music from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, so I just enjoy having the original records, which I have to buy secondhand. About two years ago or so, I went with a friend to Utrecht for the <a href="http://www.recordplanet.nl/en/" target="_blank">Mega Record &amp; CD Fair</a> where I looked for a lot of old Beatles records. I realized then that being an avid traveler, I could always go hunt for record shops while on vacation and perhaps find releases that would normally be harder to come by.<br /><br />With that in mind, I thought that looking for records here in China would be interesting since western music isn't common here, and therefore, if there <i>are</i> releases that I could find, they're probably rare and/or fewer people are interested in them. Moreover, China is closer to Japan, which comparatively listens to a lot of western music, so finding Japanese releases here is easier than in either Germany or the United States. Having thought this out, I decided to try out <a href="http://www.taobao.com/market/global/index_new.php">Taobao.com</a>, China's answer to eBay and Amazon. Essentially, it's an e-commerce site that connects small businesses to people and you can find everything under the sun there, including secondhand wares.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EX3sMwpzJ7U/VIWntD6BAPI/AAAAAAAABY0/nb7E3b414VU/s1600/taobao_homepage2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EX3sMwpzJ7U/VIWntD6BAPI/AAAAAAAABY0/nb7E3b414VU/s1600/taobao_homepage2.png" height="191" width="400" /></a></div><br /><a name='more'></a>My thought process roughly went like this: "I like records. Taobao.com is an e-commerce site...they're all roughly the same, I just enter my search and hit buy." Well, yes, I entered "Beatles LP" and got a bunch of results, which looked like this:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jFKEjw1dPk4/VIUl4ha0BQI/AAAAAAAABXs/QF79J1VY_Zs/s1600/search_results.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jFKEjw1dPk4/VIUl4ha0BQI/AAAAAAAABXs/QF79J1VY_Zs/s1600/search_results.png" height="242" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But then I realized, "OH GOD, what are all of these symbols?! And these words?! And filters?!" Maybe not so easy. Thankfully, when I use Chrome and have my VPN turned on, I can let Google just translate everything for me directly in the browser. It's never a great translation and there's usually a lot of gibberish and stuff it can't translate, but I got the idea (I've learned to detest images with text on them since I have to manually enter those into a translator with trackpad handwriting). And thank God there are photos with everything here in China (even in restaurants!) because making a decision is quicker when you can see something visually.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After browsing for a few hours, I found a Japanese copy of <i>A Hard Day's Night</i> -- an original, first pressing from 1964, nonetheless! -- for a real bargain of ¥150 (about $24 or 19€). I checked the description translated by Google, and it seemed fine. If it was genuine or not, that was another question. I checked the photo and record number cited, and like I said, all appeared in order. And besides which, an original Japanese first pressing of <i>A Hard Day's Night</i>! I figured if it turned out to be a dud, 19€ wouldn't be so horrible and I would come away with learning about using a Chinese e-commerce website, plus I'd have something from the Beatles in hand...hopefully.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thankfully, I found <a href="https://www.techinasia.com/tmall-taobao-english-how-to-guide/">this incredibly useful guide</a> in English on using Taobao in Chinese (there's no English site available). Even if the guide simplified the process, it didn't solve all of my issues. For one, it took me more than an hour and a half to figure out registration. Why? Like I already mentioned, I'm a Chrome user and I like using the translate option directly in the browser. However, this means that I'm using a Google product via a VPN; the majority of Google products are blocked here in China due to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Shield_Project">Great Firewall</a>. If I turn off the VPN, I can't translate anything because the Google server can't be reached. It was a dilemma -- should I turn off the VPN, translate using Bing or Baidu (Chinese search engine) and hope the translation was decent, or leave the VPN on and hope that it didn't "wreak havoc" on the buying process (as the Tech in Asia guide so aptly described)? Well, I tried both, and frankly, both had their issues, which I won't get into specifically.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It turns out that registering on Taobao requires you to connect your phone, which was a bit unclear to me at first. Unlike in Europe or the U.S. where you have a username and email address, it seems to be a trend here to register with a username and a phone number, while skipping the email address. They leave the option to register with an email though. I found this to be slightly confusing -- did I register with my phone number or an email address? What is this extra field? And then I was having issues with my password. Was it on for phone login or my email? I must've spent at least a half hour figuring out my login and password details, even though it would normally be straightforward.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The payment options weren't easy to figure out either. <a href="https://www.alipay.com/">Alipay</a>, the Chinese PayPal equivalent, requires its own plugin to be installed as an extra security measure. For some reason, the plugin doesn't work properly on Chrome, which doesn't really surprise me. I had a really good email conversation with my friend Ningxin to see if she could help me out, which basically consisted of screenshots with remarks like this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QA-fg0QeXf4/VIUz5fnWaBI/AAAAAAAABYE/X_qkTYGMg0U/s1600/whatisthis.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QA-fg0QeXf4/VIUz5fnWaBI/AAAAAAAABYE/X_qkTYGMg0U/s1600/whatisthis.png" height="207" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Essentially, I couldn't enter a password or a confirmation until I installed the plugin. Luckily, Ningxin was also just as confused as I was because, as she explained, it should work. (Thanks for your help, Ningxin, and sorry to be so annoying!) After installing it and then trying it out on Safari, I could enter a password. Granted, I had to re-register myself because the first time I did, something went wrong, though I have no idea what. By the time I re-registered myself in Safari, I basically had translated it so many times in Chrome already that I knew what each field was without having to use a translator.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After completing my registration, I put the record in my virtual shopping cart and got to the page where I had to enter my shipping information. At this point, I went back to using Chrome because I needed the translation and I was too lazy to go back and forth between tabs while using Bing or Baidu. The fun part was hoping that I entered my address correctly in Chinese; whereas in Europe and North America addresses go from the smallest to biggest entity (house &amp; apartment numbers, street, postcode/city or city/postcode), it's the opposite here in China. You start off with the city name, then write the district, street, house number, building number, and lastly, apartment number. Not to mention the address is all in one line and not three. Then the question was, "Should I put my English name since that's in my passport? Or should I use my Chinese name?" Solution: I just put both.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After all of that, figuring out Alipay and making sure I was paying the seller correctly was mostly OK since Alipay and Taobao are the same company. Even so, it was a bit difficult choosing between having a translation + VPN or not. Eventually, I placed the order and could only wait to see what would arrive -- did I enter the address correctly? Did I pay the seller? Did I order the right record?!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-45xRHGnBP-M/VIWGA10P-oI/AAAAAAAABYU/HjztJ3HkgbM/s1600/beatles_record.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-45xRHGnBP-M/VIWGA10P-oI/AAAAAAAABYU/HjztJ3HkgbM/s1600/beatles_record.png" height="225" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As promised according to the terrible Google translation, I received my package within two days of ordering it. And yes, it was the correct record. Sort of. When I opened the package, I looked at the sleeve -- an original cover for the first Japanese pressing of <i>A Hard Day's Night</i>, number OP-7123. Thrilled, I took out the record itself, saw a few scratches, and checked the number -- OP-7179. Wait, what? I looked again and it turns out the record itself is an original Japanese first pressing for <i>Beatles for Sale</i>, the record after <i>A Hard Day's Night </i>(see the photo above, which is from me and more legible than the seller's image). Basically, the record didn't match the sleeve. I checked the photo on Taobao again more carefully and yup, the picture shows the record is <i>Beatles for Sale</i>. By getting so caught up and worrying about the website and description translations, I missed the simplest thing itself -- the photo!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Neither is probably worth very much without the record and sleeve, but for me, it's now a reminder of figuring out how to use a Chinese e-commerce site. And even then, I'm just happy to have original Japanese Beatles record memorabilia from the 1960s. We'll see what other records I find this year -- in-store or online now that I know how everything works. Who knows, maybe I'll come across a homeless record of <i>A Hard Day's Night</i> or a <i>Beatles for Sale</i> sleeve with no record.</div>pleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09357319679260809789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11366735.post-43333835009321725072014-11-22T15:50:00.000+01:002014-11-24T09:53:53.910+01:00Job Search & Interviewing Adventures in ChinaI've now been in Shanghai for about four weeks keeping myself busy by looking for jobs -- sending out resumes, going to job fairs, doing interviews, and networking a lot. It's definitely been a learning experience and at times has been surprising, frustrating, and enlightening. There are some commonalities between the United States, Germany, and China, like having to send a CV and cover letter, dressing for success, and all those other things you'll find articles about on LinkedIn. I wound up getting my own business cards printed here because I had read that handing them out here is more common than in the U.S. or Germany. I have to agree that this does seem to be the norm here, but as the last time I was on the job hunt was when I had finished my master's, it's a bit different selling myself with my work experience. But there are three things that I've noticed are very unique to my experience looking for a job here in China.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">(As a quick side note, I don't have any fitting images to work with this entry, so I'm just adding ones I've taken around Shanghai because they won't end up with other blog entries anyway.)</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JAWmtSd0f3o/VHCod7JPtLI/AAAAAAAABVc/v3vMClI8OyE/s1600/jin_mao_tower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JAWmtSd0f3o/VHCod7JPtLI/AAAAAAAABVc/v3vMClI8OyE/s1600/jinmaotower2.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Looking up at the Jinmao Tower in Lujiazui, the financial district of Shanghai.</span></div><br /><a name='more'></a><b>1. The questionnaire you're given at the beginning of your interview before you meet the interviewer</b><br /><b><br /></b>When you go in for an interview, the first thing that happens here in China is you're given a sheet to fill out with basic information before you talk to the interviewer. The receptionist is usually the one who gives you this thing to fill out before the interview actually begins. I feel like this sheet is just a summary of your CV and cover letter all over again. You enter your contact information, your birthdate, your education, your skills, your last three positions with starting and end dates and occasionally your salary at each position, plus your salary expectation. There's also information I found to be a bit puzzling -- your astrology sign, height, weight, marital status (I don't add this on my CV even in Germany), politics, and your closest family members (including your spouse and parents).<br /><br />For astrology sign, I've written both my western and Chinese astrology signs because I really don't know what to make of it. I mean, if I have to write my birthdate, that would give away both astrology signs. What's the point then? I guess by having a candidate write them, the HR person doesn't need to go figure it out themselves. Even so, I found it an odd piece of information to add, and in this day and age, does it really matter? Every interview I've been to requested this information and I just wonder what they do with it.<br /><br />I found adding my height and weight a bit personal but somehow less odd than astrology sign. This is definitely the American side of me coming out and being slightly offended. I'm definitely <i>not</i> applying for any modeling jobs or any job where my height or weight would actually matter, like a flight attendant. What difference does my height and weight make? I have no idea, but I've added the information anyway. I'm not ashamed of my height or weight, but I think it's unnecessary information that's not going to make me better or worse at my job.<br /><br />Marital status is definitely something I don't like having to write. The reason is that at my current age, a lot of people are starting to have kids and frankly, being married, everyone's going to think I'm going to have one now. It's something that the company can easily use to toss out a candidacy, which in the U.S. or Germany is frowned upon (if not illegal), but here in China, I have absolutely no idea. I'm afraid that my marital status in combination with my age will count against me even though I really don't want to have kids right now. I try to make that clear when they ask the question, "Where do you see yourself in three years?" I still wonder, though, if they will remember this fact when they just look at the sheet with all of the information in front of them. Then again, even if the box weren't there on the questionnaire, they often ask me why I'm here in Shanghai. At that point, I say I've been wanting to move to China for awhile (which is the truth), but I also mention it's because my husband's company sent him here. So basically they'd find out my marital status without the questionnaire, but I just hope it doesn't play a huge role in their decision.<br /><br />I think the politics section is definitely for Chinese citizens, so I've actually left it blank. Whether I'm a Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative, or in German politics, member of the CDU, FDP, SPD, Die Linke, Die Grünen doesn't make a difference to them. Even so, it's something that would never be on a job questionnaire either in the U.S. or Germany. If it were, I'd be very surprised.<br /><br />Lastly, I have no idea what to make about the closest family members section. There have been a few questionnaires where they request these family members' phone numbers. I could understand if this sheet were used when you're hired -- in case of emergency, they'd have your contacts on file. But as a candidate? Again, I just found it a bit strange to collect this information so early in the process.<br /><br />The questionnaire itself is so detailed that I've needed about 10 to 15 minutes to fill it out. The first time it happened, I wondered if it was just something weird the company did, but after a few more interviews, I've realized it's the norm. To be honest, I find it a bit annoying since I've already gone through the process of making a nice CV and cover letter and then I have to fill out everything again by hand. But hey, if it's the norm, then fine, that's the way it is.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1uhSEkt6vBY/VHCmOIEZHQI/AAAAAAAABVU/Kat6oUjvRo4/s1600/lujiazui.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1uhSEkt6vBY/VHCmOIEZHQI/AAAAAAAABVU/Kat6oUjvRo4/s1600/lujiazui.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Part of Lujiazui, the financial district in Shanghai.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I like the contrast of the modern &amp; old building.</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br /><b>2. The type of water you're offered to drink</b><br /><b><br /></b>Of course, when you go in for an interview, you're always offered something to drink. In Germany or the U.S., you're usually given a glass of water. In Germany, you might have the option of carbonated water or still water. However, in both countries, the water you're given is usually cold or at least room temperature. Not so in China -- you're given a cup of boiled to lukewarm water. Coming from a Chinese-American family, I'm not as weirded out by this as someone who has never drunk warm water before in their life. The first interview I went to and got a cup of warm water, I sort of smiled to myself and thought, "Yes, this is very Chinese." Why? Chinese people think drinking something cold is bad for you. My grandparents told me this numerous times; they and my dad also have a tendency to drink boiled water (滾水 is what we say in Cantonese) because it's "good for digestion" and generally just good for you. Admittedly, I will drink hot water once in awhile as well, but I was amused to be given warm water without question at a job interview.<br /><br />Even when I went to talk to a fellow Middlebury alum, he offered me warm water. I raised an eyebrow and laughed, saying, "Wow, that's very Chinese of you." He told me that having lived here in China for 18 years, he's gotten used to it and going back to the States, he finds it weird to get ice water where ever he goes. When he's there, he requests no ice or maybe a cup of tea where he'll just not use the teabag.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yj9qwUWq7B8/VHCmIiKDD_I/AAAAAAAABVE/LxjKW2G_Iks/s1600/centurypark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yj9qwUWq7B8/VHCmIiKDD_I/AAAAAAAABVE/LxjKW2G_Iks/s1600/centurypark.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Florentijn Hofman's Giant Rubber Duck in Century Park attracted hordes of people.</span></div><br /><b>3. Oh, you're Chinese? Of course you speak Mandarin even though we didn't request it specifically in the job ad.</b><br /><br />This last point is one that's probably going to be repeated in every single entry I write this year in Shanghai -- the expectation that because I've got a Chinese name and look Chinese, I speak Chinese. The first story is when I went to the German-Sino Job Fair, which comprised mostly of German companies looking for Chinese candidates or Chinese companies looking for someone with German experience. The majority of open positions were definitely not in my field; they were all technical, engineering jobs. However, there was one ad for a German-English translator which I thought, "OK, I can do that." I went to the booth for the job and the woman greeted me in Mandarin. I thought, "OK, that's fine," and explained to her <i>in Mandarin</i> that my Mandarin is not very good. She looked at me blankly and kept talking to me in Chinese. I shook my head, asked, "德语? 英语? 广东话?" ("German? English? Cantonese?") After all, the position was for a German-English translator and there wasn't any Chinese requirement for the job. To be honest, I had no expectation for her to speak English or Cantonese, but at least basic German since it <i>was</i> the German-Sino Job Fair. Eventually, she said something in Mandarin, pointed to my resume in my hand, made the motion of calling, and waved me away. A girl behind me translated, "Give her your CV; she'll call you if she's interested." I handed my resume to her and stalked off. Admittedly, I felt slightly humiliated and hadn't even wanted to give her my CV. Obviously if we can't communicate, they're not going to call me, so why even bother?<br /><br />The second story happened at a completely different job interview for an American English Website Editor position where in the job ad, there was nothing written about having to know Chinese. In fact, they specifically requested that the candidate be an American citizen. So obviously, I fit the basic requirement for the position. However, at the interview, the HR woman looked at me and started talking to me in Mandarin. I just smiled at her and explained to her politely in my basic Mandarin that I am an American-born Chinese ("ABC"). Yes, my mother was born in Hong Kong, my dad in New York, and all of my grandparents came from China, but no, my Mandarin is not good enough for a job interview. She spoke basic English which, in my opinion, was probably better than my Mandarin, but she kept slipping back into Chinese. It was a bit frustrating because when I asked her about the actual job, she explained it to me in Chinese, which I didn't completely understand.<br /><br />Unlike at the German-Sino Job Fair, this situation wasn't humiliating but rather slightly amusing. I really wonder if the woman would try speaking to an American citizen of non-Asian heritage if they were sitting in front of her -- someone black, white, Latino. What if the candidate were say, Korean-American instead of Chinese-American? For me, it made me think twice about working at the company. Sure, I wouldn't have to deal with HR every day and as long as my direct manager could communicate with me, there shouldn't be any issues. However, if I had issues with my direct manager and had to turn to HR, what would happen then? Of course, I understand that I'm in a country where I don't speak the language and I should be accommodating. But as I mentioned, the job ad didn't specify any Chinese language skills requirement. As a result, I would expect basic English be spoken by key people involved in the hiring process for this particular job. Any job ads in English that mention any Chinese language skills as a requirement basically rule me out and those that write, "Chinese is a bonus," are ones to which I may actually apply depending on everything else.<br /><br />Though it's only been four weeks, I'm still waiting to hear back from some companies. Obviously I'm continually applying until I get an offer, but until then, I'm still applying and talking to people. So if you know anyone that needs a project manager in digital communications or a localization manager or coordinator, let me know! In the meantime, I'll also be taking an online CSS class and keeping myself busy with improving my Mandarin so people can stop giving me weird looks.pleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09357319679260809789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11366735.post-68186061199211435992014-11-08T10:19:00.000+01:002014-11-08T10:22:00.376+01:00Spotify vs. Taylor Swift vs. The ListenerI know that recently I've been posting a lot about moving to Shanghai, but with the news going on regarding Taylor Swift pulling her music from Spotify, I needed to throw my two cents into the conversation and go back to talking about pop culture. &nbsp;So bear with me. <br /><div><br /></div><div>In case you're living under a rock (or in my case, living in China and a bit far removed from western pop culture news), Taylor Swift released her fifth album this week, <i> 1989</i>. &nbsp;However, the album isn't on Spotify; in fact, she pulled her entire catalog from the streaming service except for one song. &nbsp;She explained: </div><div><br /></div><div><i>"In my opinion, the value of an album is, and will continue to be, based on the amount of heart and soul an artist has bled into a body of work, and the financial value that artists (and their labels) place on their music when it goes out into the marketplace. Piracy, file sharing and streaming have shrunk the numbers of paid album sales drastically, and every artist has handled this blow differently." </i><br /><br />Even so, her album is setting records, her decision to keep her music off Spotify is being intensely debated, and basically, you can't escape Taylor Swift in the media. <br /><br />As a free Spotify user, I'm torn. &nbsp;I don't actually listen to Taylor Swift, and, wanting to know what the hype was about, I checked out the first single off <i> 1989</i>, "Shake It Off." &nbsp;(I keep thinking it should be "Take It Off," but then I remember that was from The Donnas.) &nbsp;Because I can't listen to it on Spotify, I decided to turn to Vevo and watch her music video, which I happily discovered was directed by Mark Romanek: <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/nfWlot6h_JM" width="560"> </iframe> </div><br /><a name='more'></a></div><div>The thing is, I don't think any struggling musician or band would be able to simply write off Spotify as an option and just pull their music from the service. &nbsp;Streaming services offer bands a chance to find a new audience that normally wouldn't be accessible to them. &nbsp;Someone like Taylor Swift who has a worldwide audience doesn't need Spotify, and sales of <i> 1989 </i> prove that. &nbsp;In her quote above, she says that the value of an album is based on both the amount of "heart and soul" an artist puts into it and the financial value that is placed on the music. &nbsp;I don't think she is saying that artists who allow their music to be on Spotify put any less effort into their music than she does, but she has the luxury of being able to choose not to share her music with streaming services. <br /><br />According to <a href="http://time.com/3554468/why-taylor-swift-spotify/" target="_blank"> this Time article</a>, artists receive less than 1 cent per streamed play -- between $0.006 and $0.0084. &nbsp;It may not be much, but it can add up when you're Taylor Swift and getting millions of streams per day. &nbsp;For the average band, it's not much. <br /><br />I think part of the problem is that as consumers, we have grown accustomed to the idea that music "is" and "should be" free. &nbsp;Even 30 years ago when radio played a dominant role in how music was heard, people would tune in and not have to pay a dime for listening to it on the radio. &nbsp;To own that single or album, listeners would actually have to go out and buy a physical record, cassette, or CD. &nbsp;Now with digital technology, music is not something tangible. &nbsp;It is just bits of data saved on a computer, a phone, a tablet, an iPod, whatever. &nbsp;There's no work involved with getting music because everything is just a click away. &nbsp;Music is everywhere you go. &nbsp;Remember the days of actually having to choose which CDs or cassettes you wanted to bring with you and not being able to bring your whole collection of music with you on a ten-hour flight? &nbsp;Data is cheap or free (see cloud services like Dropbox and Google Drive) and music is now just another form of data.<br /><br />Taylor Swift pulling her music from Spotify isn't going to solve anything. &nbsp;It sure is making a statement, but in the long run, it's not sustainable. &nbsp;If all artists pulled their music from streaming services, piracy would run rampant, which it does anyway. &nbsp;Nothing will change until consumers' attitudes change. &nbsp;We need to be convinced that we should pay for the music and that it's worth paying for it. &nbsp;I personally still buy music and I've actually gone back to buying vinyl recently since many albums come with an additional digital download. &nbsp;I'm more willing to shell out my money if I get both vinyl and digital copies of the album, and no, I don't share my music. &nbsp;Here's two of the albums I bought recently (my most recent purchases are still in Germany while I am here in China):<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fCxdgddnWyk/VF3SCtqBdzI/AAAAAAAABUM/3uFmKWz5yrU/s1600/vinyl.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img alt="vinyl" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fCxdgddnWyk/VF3SCtqBdzI/AAAAAAAABUM/3uFmKWz5yrU/s1600/vinyl.jpg" height="298" title="" width="596" /></a></div><br />I actually bought these albums specifically through the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.pledgemusic.com/" target="_blank">Pledgemusic</a>&nbsp;campaigns from <a href="http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/okgo" target="_blank">OK Go</a> and <a href="http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/weezer" target="_blank">Weezer</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;Campaigns like these ones&nbsp;make me feel like I'm buying an experience. &nbsp;I'm not just getting the music, but I get the run up to it -- exclusive updates from the band/artist in the form of images and video, access to MP3s before the release, whatever. &nbsp;Some bands have done some really brilliant campaigns and have exclusives like signed albums, special experiences to meet the band, the chance to get your favorite artist to record your voicemail greeting. &nbsp;One of my favorite bands from high school, <a href="http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/nerfherder" target="_blank">Nerf Herder</a>, even offered the chance to sing on their album and record in the Lucasfilm Studios. &nbsp;I want to pay for the music because it's an experience. &nbsp;It's not just some digital file that's not tangible. &nbsp;Sure, experiences are just as non-physical as an MP3, FLAC, or WAV, but I think it's something people would be more willing to pay for. &nbsp;Look at this way -- people still go to concerts where they can experience the music, in spite of a steep ticket price. &nbsp;They may bitch and complain about it being a rip-off, but they still go.</div><br />Basically it comes down to this: both the distributors and the artists themselves can't keep thinking about the music industry like it was 30 years ago. &nbsp;It's not working and it won't work. &nbsp;Musicians need to be more creative so that consumers want to pay for the music. &nbsp;Pulling music from Spotify or Pandora or other streaming services will only drive people away from getting the music legally. &nbsp;In Taylor Swift's case, many people have bought her album, but how many more people who would've listened to her music on Spotify are now just downloading it (illegally or otherwise) elsewhere?<br /><br />I was discussing this on Facebook with some high school classmates, and one had the perfect Brian Eno quote to sum this up (thanks, Adam!):<br /><br /><i>"I think records were just a little bubble through time and those who made a living from them for awhile were lucky. There is no reason why anyone should have made so much money from selling records except that everything was right for this period of time...</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>It was a bit like if you had a source of whale blubber in the 1840s and it could be used as fuel. Before gas came along, if you traded in whale blubber, you were the richest man on Earth. Then gas came along and you'd be stuck with your whale blubber.</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>Sorry mate – history's moving along. Recorded music equals whale blubber. Eventually, something else will replace it."</i>pleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09357319679260809789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11366735.post-59595074479323223292014-11-04T12:34:00.001+01:002014-11-04T14:42:26.604+01:00First Impressions of ShanghaiI've been in Shanghai for a little over a week now. &nbsp;I haven't even scratched the surface of this enormous city, but I do have my first five impressions. &nbsp;So here they are:<br /><br /><b>1. &nbsp;Shanghai is like living in the future. &nbsp;</b><br /><br />Or Blade Runner. &nbsp;Seriously. &nbsp;This is what the city looks like on a beautiful sunny day fairly free of smog:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EzM1XBAguHo/VFjXqpQCp5I/AAAAAAAABT0/9i0dXfzi8xU/s1600/pudong2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EzM1XBAguHo/VFjXqpQCp5I/AAAAAAAABT0/9i0dXfzi8xU/s1600/pudong2.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>The skyscrapers are so high, and everything is just so futuristic and <i>shiny</i>. &nbsp;The Oriental Pearl Tower (the TV tower thing on the left side of the photo) sort of reminds me of what Disneyworld thinks the future should be like in Tomorrowland. &nbsp;If you don't know what I mean, take a look at <a href="https://flic.kr/p/6aQk9q" target="_blank">this picture</a> I took in 2009 from Hong Kong Disney's Tomorrowland. &nbsp;The Oriental Pearl Tower totally belongs in that weird idea of the future. &nbsp;Next time I get around to taking a picture of the city at night, I'll be sure to post it since I'm positive it will definitely look like Blade Runner.<br /><br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><b>2. &nbsp;Shanghai is vast.</b><br /><br />OK, this might be because I'm used to living in tiny little Düsseldorf. &nbsp;But the amount of time it takes me to take a regional train from Düsseldorf to Cologne is about the same time I need <i>just on the subway</i> to get across town. &nbsp;And it's about just as far! &nbsp;I had to go from the Pudong (eastern side of the river) to the Puxi side near the Shanghai Zoo for a health check. &nbsp;It took me over an hour to get there with the subway and had I taken a cab, probably would've needed just about the same because of traffic.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tvu582wEl54/VFi4g2wnSxI/AAAAAAAABTU/-VRj8Cpy5Qg/s1600/puxi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tvu582wEl54/VFi4g2wnSxI/AAAAAAAABTU/-VRj8Cpy5Qg/s1600/puxi.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Speaking of the health check, this brings me to the next point:<br /><br /><b>3. &nbsp;You think Germans are efficient? &nbsp;You obviously have not been to China.</b><br /><br />Germans are not necessarily efficient, but precise. &nbsp;Anyone who has experienced German bureaucracy knows it's painful. &nbsp;It consists of going to whatever office (like the aliens' office) and parking your ass on a chair for about three hours before you're called to the front of the line, only to discover you've just waited to make another appointment for the future. &nbsp;You could've saved this time had you called in advance and gotten lucky that they answered your call. &nbsp;That's German bureaucracy.<br /><br />Chinese bureaucracy? &nbsp;My first experience was doing the health check, so I went to this little health center out near the Shanghai Zoo. &nbsp;It's full of foreigners who want to work here. &nbsp;You fill out some paperwork, get called into a room where they asked me if I was pregnant (no), and then said, "Room 113, please." &nbsp;You go into Room 113, have your height and weight measured, get handed a cotton robe to change into and a key to a locker for your belongings, and then get told what room is next. &nbsp;And it just keeps going like that, but with extreme efficiency. &nbsp;Each room was for a specific test -- figuring out your pulse, blood work, x-rays, etc. &nbsp;And everyone just sits patiently in a line and it <i>moves</i>. &nbsp;Each doctor in each room just does what they need to do, no questions asked, done. <br /><br />I was in the line after an Indian woman about my age, a Frenchman, and an American woman was behind me. &nbsp;There were also some Indian men, a Japanese woman, and a Taiwanese man, amongst several other people. &nbsp;We were all bewildered and impressed at how efficient the whole process was. &nbsp;I probably got the most thorough health check in my life and it took at most an hour. &nbsp;Supposedly the process can take longer on busier days, but even so, it was faster than anything I've experienced in Germany in terms of bureaucracy. &nbsp;The only problem I encountered was that the nurse/doctor who was taking blood couldn't find a vein in my left arm unlike everyone else. &nbsp;You could see she was slightly annoyed, but she managed to find one anyway.<br /><br />Conclusion: China is more efficient than Germany. &nbsp;We'll see if that impression remains.<br /><br /><b>4. &nbsp;I confuse the hell out of everyone because of my language (in)abilities.</b><br /><br />This one just makes me laugh. &nbsp;I knew I would have some difficulties starting out because I never use my Mandarin. &nbsp;My Cantonese is a lot better, but the problem is that whenever I want to say something in Mandarin, I resort to Cantonese. &nbsp;A great example is when I went to the drugstore the other day to buy some face wash. &nbsp;I don't how to say "face," "wash," or "soap" in Mandarin, so when the sales lady asked me what I wanted, I sort of made the motion of washing my face and said, "Wash face," in Cantonese. &nbsp;Then because all skin products here have a whitening agent due to beauty standards, I added in Mandarin, "I don't want white!" &nbsp;How you say "whitening agent" in Cantonese or Mandarin is beyond me. &nbsp;To say the least, the sales lady was a bit confused.<br /><br />Apparently people also give me quizzical looks when I talk to Christian in the street in German. &nbsp;I had to giggle with my friend Ningxin, whom I met in Germany and speak German with, because we noticed people raising eyebrows. &nbsp;We thought people might think we're Vietnamese since they wouldn't really recognize German, but we're two Asians conversing.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6A7fnSN705I/VFitdEUZjpI/AAAAAAAABS4/_A0cms6wVLM/s1600/with_ningxin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6A7fnSN705I/VFitdEUZjpI/AAAAAAAABS4/_A0cms6wVLM/s1600/with_ningxin.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div><br />Then again, confusing people with what language I can speak is sort of my life anyway and has been for at least the last eight years. &nbsp;People in Germany always look shocked when I speak German fluently. &nbsp;Maybe not so much in Düsseldorf since there are so many Japanese people around, but I've definitely experienced this surprise firsthand. &nbsp;It comes down to the fact that the expectations are completely different -- in Europe, the expectation is, "You don't have to speak my language because you don't look like me." &nbsp;In Asia, the expectation is, "You should speak my language because you look like me." &nbsp;I think this is a topic that will come up over and over again, but I'll devote another blog entry to it at some point in the future.<br /><br />However, I've been learning words really quickly and every day I care less about weirding people out. &nbsp;I just point to what I want to order and say, "I want one of these," or politely explain that I don't know what they're saying when they speak too quickly. &nbsp;Just listening to it, seeing it, hearing it, and trying to speak it every day is letting me make improvements I never would otherwise make.<br /><br /><b>5. &nbsp;Food is cheap and plentiful.</b><br /><br />Going hand-in-hand with this observation, I'm going to say this now -- I think I'm going to gain weight this year. &nbsp;There's just so much delicious food everywhere and it's cheap!<br /><br />I haven't gotten sick of eating Chinese food every day for every meal yet. &nbsp;We'll see how long it takes. &nbsp;After two weeks in India and eating Indian food for every meal that whole time, I couldn't eat Indian food for five months afterward. &nbsp;Actually, I haven't even really eaten Indian food since then. &nbsp;So, we'll see how it goes with Chinese food. &nbsp;But here's some hot pot for you to drool over:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PXA0Xb2oFiI/VFitTt_MTOI/AAAAAAAABSw/a-Uq5yeSSBk/s1600/food.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PXA0Xb2oFiI/VFitTt_MTOI/AAAAAAAABSw/a-Uq5yeSSBk/s1600/food.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My last thought about my first impressions is that it's interesting what sorts of things I'm looking for now as an adult seeking employment versus a student fresh in Berlin. &nbsp;For one, I know I wouldn't be able to live off döner if I moved to Germany now or the Chinese equivalent. &nbsp;While walking around the neighborhood that Christian and I will be moving to this weekend, I was excited about the fact that there's an organic supermarket nearby. &nbsp;Yup, student me wouldn't have cared so much. &nbsp;Adult me got really excited. &nbsp;How things change.</div>pleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09357319679260809789noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11366735.post-80092283826382213242014-10-23T06:47:00.001+02:002014-10-24T13:49:14.964+02:00Some thoughts about moving to a new country (and packing for it)As I enjoy my last day in Düsseldorf, there are lots of thoughts going through my head. &nbsp;I remember the first time I moved abroad back in 2005 as a college student -- I actually sobbed to my mother for three hours. &nbsp;Maybe more. &nbsp;I recall wailing to her, "But why am I even going abroad?! &nbsp;I feel comfortable where I am and I <i>like</i> it here!! &nbsp;What am I <i>doing</i>?!?" &nbsp;Nine years later, eight of which have been spent outside the U.S., I can only laugh at my college self and think, "How cute." &nbsp;Because honestly, I wouldn't change the last nine years at all.<br /><br />I have the feeling that in Shanghai, I will constantly be comparing it to my German experience. &nbsp;I realize though that this is unfair. &nbsp;Düsseldorf consistently ranks in the top 10 most livable cities in Europe, if not the world, according to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercer_Quality_of_Living_Survey" target="_blank">Mercer Quality of Living Survey</a>. &nbsp;On the other hand, China ranks as the number one country for expats according to the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20131122-an-expats-home-away-from-home" target="_blank">BBC</a>. &nbsp;But does living as an expat actually mean a good quality of life? &nbsp;I don't think it necessarily does, but this will probably be one of the bigger questions I answer in China.<br /><br />One thing that worries me about living in China is being Chinese-American, but my Mandarin is only so-so. &nbsp;Of course, I'm eager to improve it, but there is an expectation that if you look Asian, you speak the local language. &nbsp;It's a common problem in Asia that I encountered in Beijing, Tokyo, and Kyoto. &nbsp;The attitude is, "Why don't you speak the local language? &nbsp;You're Asian!" &nbsp;This video sums up my experience really well:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe align="middle" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/oLt5qSm9U80" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: left;">I actually finished packing today and I must say, I'm either getting really good at this moving-abroad-for-a-year-thing or I'm forgetting something. &nbsp;(This is the third time I've moved abroad for a year -- once going to Berlin, once with my CBYX year) &nbsp;I managed to pack one big suitcase that weighs 19.6 kilograms (about 43 pounds) with everything I think I need in it. &nbsp;I've realized that I wear the same stuff over and over again anyway, so if the thought crossed my mind, "Maybe I should pack that because I might actually wear it," the item got left behind. &nbsp;This is what my clothing looked like just laying it out in the living room:<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-acXV2rp29PA/VEfL70vVdII/AAAAAAAABQo/TZ56yrleiPM/s1600/WP_20141021_13_40_27_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-acXV2rp29PA/VEfL70vVdII/AAAAAAAABQo/TZ56yrleiPM/s1600/WP_20141021_13_40_27_Pro.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Whenever it comes to larger trips like this (or rather, just moving temporarily), I take a look at what I want to bring. &nbsp;I considered actually making a chart of how many different combinations I could make -- which pants would go with what top and if I could match a jacket or cardigan to it, plus shoes. &nbsp;I didn't actually wind up making a chart, but I do take that into consideration. &nbsp;Anything that is too specific and can't be combined with anything else doesn't get packed. &nbsp;The only exception is a cocktail dress, which was the dead giveaway that I'm not a student anymore. &nbsp;I actually am bringing it because I thought, "Well, if I get invited to a wedding...or something...I don't feel like shopping." &nbsp;As a student, bringing a cocktail dress never even crossed my mind.<br /><br />After laying it out in the living room neatly, I rolled everything up. &nbsp;I find that rolling everything saves a lot more space and you can cram smaller things like t-shirts into gaps easier than when it's folded. &nbsp;Not only that, but I think my clothes also arrive less wrinkled when rolled. &nbsp;I could be wrong on this, but it's just a feeling. &nbsp;Anyhow, I can definitely fit more rolling everything and if I had actually packed my boots in the photo rather than wearing them, I would stuff them with clothes too. &nbsp;Plus, everything looks more manageable and less scary:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B0jXjtl4C_A/VEfL_2smsnI/AAAAAAAABQ0/3mIix6EFBsk/s1600/WP_20141021_19_55_38_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B0jXjtl4C_A/VEfL_2smsnI/AAAAAAAABQ0/3mIix6EFBsk/s1600/WP_20141021_19_55_38_Pro.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With the shoes, I packed two pairs of heels, two pairs of boots, two pairs of casual shoes, and my running sneakers. &nbsp;The heels had to be versatile; I can wear them dressed for more formal occasions like putting them with the cocktail dress, but they also had to be not too flashy so I could wear them for work. &nbsp;The boots are very different from each other; as you can see, I have a pair of knee-highs and then ankle boots. &nbsp;Again, they're different from each other but can be worn with a lot of different outfits. &nbsp;As for the casual shoes, they don't take up much space, but I like having different pairs for city trips. &nbsp;And the running sneakers are for the gym (I don't run outside and can't imagine doing so in Shanghai). &nbsp;Generally, I took the largest items and decided that that's what I'll wear on the plane. &nbsp;So it's the knee-high boots, a hoodie, a pair of jeans, shirt, and leather jacket. &nbsp;It saves the space in my bag.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally, after I've evaluated everything rolled up, it all goes into the suitcase:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dLs-t-_a0vQ/VEfL_u2EIuI/AAAAAAAABQw/SovcUJu35fQ/s1600/WP_20141022_15_55_03_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dLs-t-_a0vQ/VEfL_u2EIuI/AAAAAAAABQw/SovcUJu35fQ/s1600/WP_20141022_15_55_03_Pro.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Like I said, everything gets crammed into little spaces. &nbsp;Shoes are packed like they would be in a box so they're as narrow as possible. &nbsp;I've stuck a bunch of flat things in the front pockets of the luggage. &nbsp;Everything I packed managed to fit and then some, so I added one or two extra t-shirts, but left the extra sweaters out. &nbsp;If I were moving to a much colder place, I'd consider more warmer weather clothing, but considering I layer everything (tank tops/t-shirts with a sweater), it also makes everything more efficient.<br /><br />I started writing this yesterday, but now it's 6:45 in the morning. &nbsp;I woke up early so I know I'll be able to fall asleep on the plane. &nbsp;I could definitely use some more sleep, but I also had to make sure my carry-on and personal items are ready to go. &nbsp;And they are. &nbsp;So let's hope that I haven't forgotten anything super important. &nbsp;If I did, then it probably wasn't actually super important because I wouldn't have forgotten it in the first place.</div></div>pleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09357319679260809789noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11366735.post-14077287016383602672014-10-21T00:10:00.002+02:002014-10-21T00:11:36.825+02:00I'm going to be an expat squared. Or expat hoch zwei.It's been awhile since I wrote about being an expat, but it turns out I'm moving to Shanghai on Thursday. &nbsp;Yes, in 72 hours I will be sitting on a plane on my way to China. &nbsp;It's kind of crazy to think that after eight years of living in Germany, I'm moving to a new country and not back to the U.S. &nbsp;I never thought I'd actually have the chance to move to China even though I've been saying I would like to do it for a really long time. <br /><br />You might've noticed I've renamed this blog from "Deutschland, na klar!" ("Germany, of course!" which was basically the title of my German grammar book in college) to "Expat Hoch Zwei," which is a mix of English and German. &nbsp;It means "Expat Squared." &nbsp;I actually wanted to rename it "Expat Squared," but doing a quick Google search brought me to another blog that someone else got to before me. &nbsp;Oh well.<br /><br />So, tschüß, Düsseldorf:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Nv8gYxNaEy8/VEWAlGl09rI/AAAAAAAABPs/sYKCMWxUyqY/s1600/5509058116_961aaccc32_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Nv8gYxNaEy8/VEWAlGl09rI/AAAAAAAABPs/sYKCMWxUyqY/s1600/5509058116_961aaccc32_o.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The question is...what have I been doing up to now?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a name='more'></a><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A lot of people have already asked me the question, "Have you already packed?" &nbsp;The answer, simply, is no. &nbsp;I'm not the type of person who takes days to pack. &nbsp;I pretty much will just lay out all of the clothing I think I should or want to take with me. &nbsp;That's usually a big pile of things. &nbsp;Then I'll just look at that pile and take out anything unnecessary, making sure that I have enough clothing for several combinations. &nbsp;Whether it's layering tank tops and sweaters or making sure I have black shoes that match everything, this is the best way to bring very little. &nbsp;Now that I'm moving and need to consider work clothing, I'm also packing completely differently from when I moved to Berlin as a student.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If I haven't been packing, what have I been doing? &nbsp;I finished working at my last job and tried to tie up as many loose ends as possible. &nbsp;It was bittersweet because I'm excited to embark on a new adventure, but at the same time, I will sorely miss my colleagues. &nbsp;I worked with a lot of incredibly talented and smart people, but we also got along really well on a personal level. &nbsp;To the least, I'll miss the lunchtime conversations that evolved around everything but the product on which we were working. &nbsp;I know I'll keep in touch with all of them since like me, they're all internet geeks and social media makes it easy to make quick updates.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've also been worrying about my visa. &nbsp;It reminded me of a few months back when I applied for my Indian visa. &nbsp;Back then, I had to renew my residency permit early because in order to apply for a visa here in Germany instead of in the U.S., I needed to have my German residency permit valid for six months or longer. &nbsp;That wasn't the case, hence the renewal. &nbsp;Long story short, everything was a bit stressful and unfortunately really close to when I actually left to go to India. &nbsp;This time, I happened to have a small trip to Mallorca planned to work from our office there for five days. &nbsp;As a non-EU citizen, I'm technically required to use my passport for flying. &nbsp;I could use my residency permit, but if the airline wanted to, they could demand my passport. &nbsp;So there was nothing I could do but hope everything would fall into place.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And it has. &nbsp;I applied for my visa last Monday and got my passport back a week later. &nbsp;I've finished getting all of my paperwork in order, cleaned a bunch, and met up with lots of friends. &nbsp;It seemed like it was going to be painfully slow from when I decided, "Yes, I'm going to China!" but it's unsurprisingly sped up so I don't actually have time to think. &nbsp;I need to focus on one thing at a time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In 72 hours, it'll be 你好， 上海！</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OZV7znurYMU/VEWAsNsyV2I/AAAAAAAABP0/j8HyamK9Xg0/s1600/altAiatcTaXVr5y2Iy0nxxkN9U-rzWzlqj1GZ2rtjvP41v9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OZV7znurYMU/VEWAsNsyV2I/AAAAAAAABP0/j8HyamK9Xg0/s1600/altAiatcTaXVr5y2Iy0nxxkN9U-rzWzlqj1GZ2rtjvP41v9.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>pleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09357319679260809789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11366735.post-36714520759617023912014-09-22T22:12:00.000+02:002014-09-23T19:35:31.237+02:00How a steak & potatoes girl became a staunch supporter of Meat Free MondayYesterday was the <a href="http://www.un.org/climatechange/summit/" target="_blank">UN Climate Summit</a> in New York City, which basically discussed what the world can do to slow down climate change. &nbsp;I've always been a green person that's taken interest in the environment, trying to conserve and not produce waste. &nbsp;But I love steak and potatoes. &nbsp;It's one of my favorite meals. &nbsp;When I was in the U.S. this past August, this is what I ate and it was probably one of the best meals I've&nbsp;<u>ever eaten</u>:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tQmSYS2IbuE/VCBlC2ZUTvI/AAAAAAAABEE/J84UZB-rSHY/s1600/WP_20140808_18_38_10_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tQmSYS2IbuE/VCBlC2ZUTvI/AAAAAAAABEE/J84UZB-rSHY/s1600/WP_20140808_18_38_10_Pro.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I don't regret it one bit. &nbsp;That was a&nbsp;<i>really, really</i>&nbsp;delicious steak. &nbsp;I will admit it -- I like to eat meat. &nbsp;Even so, one particular group that I've become a staunch supporter of is <a href="http://www.meatfreemondays.com/" target="_blank">Meat Free Monday</a>. &nbsp;The idea behind the group is simple: the livestock sector (read: meat) is one of the biggest contributors to climate change, and by reducing the amount of meat we consume, we can make a difference. &nbsp;By having one meat-free day per week, we can reduce greenhouse emissions significantly. &nbsp;I've actually gotten so used to not including meat in what I cook that I actually do the reverse -- I eat meat maybe only once a week, if that. &nbsp;So how did a steak &amp; potatoes girl end up eating meat so rarely?<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><a name='more'></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was admittedly not easy. &nbsp;Growing up, my parents would always cook something with meat in it: spaghetti bolognese, roast chicken, and steak. &nbsp;In college, I was used to having meat at every meal in the dining hall. &nbsp;Bacon for breakfast, philly cheesesteak for lunch, chicken parm for dinner. &nbsp;(OK, no wonder I gained the freshman 15, but that's a different story.) &nbsp;After graduating, I moved to Germany, where the culinary tradition is mostly connected to sausage, schnitzel, and <i>Schweinshaxe</i> (pork knuckle). &nbsp;Essentially, a meat-heavy cuisine. &nbsp;And it was actually in this environment that I became more aware of what I was eating, but it didn't happen overnight.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm the type of person who makes a list when I go to the supermarket and I stick to it. &nbsp;To get my list together, I make a menu for the entire week and try to reuse ingredients in multiple dishes to minimize waste, both in terms of food and money. &nbsp;This was a huge challenge, as the majority of dishes I liked to eat mostly had meat in them. &nbsp;So I cut down my meat consumption by one day a week, as advocated by Meat Free Monday. &nbsp;It was fairly easy because I only had to find one recipe per week that was vegetarian. &nbsp;I learned how I could substitute meat with vegetables, beans, and lentils to make the dishes I wanted to cook just as satisfying as their counterparts for carnivores. &nbsp;After awhile, I had a good arsenal of meat-free recipes that I would repeat fairly often and they became regular favorites that my husband and I looked forward to. &nbsp;My red lentil bean chilli soon replaced regular chilli con carne, and a variety of cheeses were on the grill more regularly than cheap sausages. &nbsp;I still ate meat fairly regularly, but I kept collecting more and more recipes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I also read Jonathan Safran Foer's <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6604712-eating-animals?ac=1" target="_blank">Eating Animals</a>, and that put me off eating meat for awhile as well. &nbsp;If you haven't read it, it's a well-researched, thoughtful book about the U.S. meat industry. &nbsp;I won't say too much about it because it's actually self-explanatory. &nbsp;I think the worst story dealt with some slaughterhouse workers who fell into a vat of animal waste because they were overpowered by the stench and drowned. &nbsp;(Yes, there's that much animal waste coming from a slaughterhouse that fills a vat.) &nbsp;But be warned: you'll probably not want to touch meat for awhile. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then at one point, my (now) husband and I made <i>frikadelle</i> (meatballs) to serve at his birthday gathering. &nbsp;We bought some ground meat from the butcher since it was a special occasion, but then decided it wasn't enough for the number of guests we were having. &nbsp;He ran out to Rewe, one of the supermarkets around the corner, and picked up 500 grams (about 1 pound) of pre-packaged ground meat. &nbsp;The meat from the butcher was more expensive than the pre-packaged stuff, but we thought it wouldn't make a significant difference. &nbsp;Besides which, the butcher had already closed after we changed our minds about the amount, so we didn't actually have a choice. &nbsp;But man, we were wrong, and I kind of wish we had taken pictures of the differences. &nbsp;The meat from the butcher made these dark brown, delicious-looking meatballs that weren't too greasy on the pan in the oven. &nbsp;The meat from the supermarket, in contrast, was an unappetizing, unhealthy greyish-brown color and left a puddle of grease in the pan. &nbsp;Taste-wise, the meat from the butcher was superior by far because it was less fatty, less watery, and more meaty. &nbsp;We decided at that point to only buy meat from the butcher instead of the pre-packaged stuff from the supermarket's refrigerated aisle.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">These three things started to add up. &nbsp;I also noticed that buying meat from the butcher regularly could become a fairly expensive habit. &nbsp;I had gone back to studying to get my master's and was freelancing teaching English. &nbsp;Basically, I wasn't earning a lot of money, so I couldn't really buy meat four times per week from the butcher. &nbsp;With the amount of vegetarian recipes I had collected, I started buying more lentils, beans, and vegetables and actively sought out even more meat-free recipes. &nbsp;If I had a craving for shepherd's pie, I used a recipe with mushrooms and lentils instead. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Soon, it became a habit of making my weekly menu with meat saved only for the weekend. &nbsp;My menu for a week could look like this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><ul><li>Monday - Ricotta &amp; spinach-filled ravioli in a creamy tomato sauce</li><li>Tuesday - Hearty white bean &amp; quinoa soup</li><li>Wednesday - Stuffed tomatoes &amp; peppers with rice (see image below)</li><li>Thursday - Spicy zucchini &amp; cheese</li><li>Friday - Couscous with veggies and a side salad</li><li>Saturday - Eggplant cheese bake</li><li>Sunday - Buffalo wings (because I love chicken wings and there is no vegetarian substitute)</li></ul><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">By supporting Meat Free Monday, the most interesting thing that has happened to me aside from completely changing my eating habits is that I really relish good meat now. &nbsp;It's a treat. &nbsp;("Meat's a treat" sounds like a gimmicky slogan from the 50s, but whatever, it's true.) &nbsp;Whether it's an amazing medium-rare steak like the one above, or it's a juicy Kobe beef burger, it's even more special because I don't eat meat so often in general. &nbsp;Sure, you could argue that I could buy meat from the butcher frequently and appreciate a good steak in a restaurant, but that's not what I choose to do because of the environmental and financial cost. &nbsp;I could also get into the health benefits like lower cholesterol and all that, but for me, they play a smaller role.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bcgXeqsBkZo/VCBlCzbDYTI/AAAAAAAABEA/1ww7X1R2TIY/s1600/WP_20140922_19_32_20_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bcgXeqsBkZo/VCBlCzbDYTI/AAAAAAAABEA/1ww7X1R2TIY/s1600/WP_20140922_19_32_20_Pro.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On the other hand, I can imagine that vegetarians would ask me: "Why not go all the way and become a vegetarian?" &nbsp;First, look at that steak above. &nbsp;Delicious! &nbsp;No, but in all seriousness, it's also out of convenience. &nbsp;I like to travel, and limiting myself to being a vegetarian could make things difficult. &nbsp;I like pointing at things and saying, "That looks tasty!" and just ordering it. &nbsp;Admittedly, I think about meat a lot less when I travel but that's because I want to see what's available. &nbsp;And that's exactly my point -- I don't have to think about what I can/cannot order, what's in the dish, and if I can eat at specific establishment if I'm not a vegetarian. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It took a lot of work to change my eating habits, but I'm glad I did it. &nbsp;Even if I could afford to eat more meat every week (which I can), I don't want to. &nbsp;I like the vegetarian dishes I make and I like looking forward to the weekend when I can eat something else. &nbsp;I also like trying to do as much as I can for the environment and for myself while still enjoying that medium rare steak when I get the chance.</div>pleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09357319679260809789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11366735.post-15318425919455140642014-06-29T22:47:00.003+02:002014-06-29T23:06:21.187+02:00Aging rock stars and how it can be a bit sexistOn Wednesday, I went to see Blondie in Cologne. &nbsp;I'm not a huge Blondie fan, but big enough that I was really excited to hear hits like "Heart of Glass," "Atomic," and "One Way or Another." &nbsp;To be clear, I don't actually follow Blondie at all; I actually just listen to the music and don't look out for them in the media. &nbsp;And this is probably what my problem was because when Debbie Harry came out on stage, I thought to myself, "Whoa, Debbie Harry is old!"<br /><br />Before you tell me I'm a raging idiot and <i>of course</i> Debbie Harry is old, let me clarify why this came to me as a surprise. &nbsp;Debbie Harry's face is so tightly bound to Blondie's image that when the band was getting popular back in the day, everyone actually thought Debbie Harry's name was Blondie (it wasn't, and there was a campaign from the band with buttons that said, "Blondie is a group.") Everyone knows what Debbie Harry looked like in the 70s because she graces t-shirts and other items as modern vintage. &nbsp;At the concert, they were also selling t-shirts with her face on it, but it was an image from the 70s, not from now. &nbsp;Even if I google "Debbie Harry Rolling Stone," the search results show a German cover from July 2011. &nbsp;And guess what? &nbsp;It's not Debbie Harry as how she currently looks, but what she looked like 40 years ago: <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.deborah-harry.com/press/scans/rolling/02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.deborah-harry.com/press/scans/rolling/02.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a></div><br /><br />Sure, the lead article is, "35 Years of Punk," along with "The Myth of Debbie Harry - Meeting with the Punk-Pop Goddess" and "Blondie - The New Album." &nbsp;Although two out of the three articles deal with Debbie Harry <i>now</i>, Rolling Stone chose to feature her image <i>from the 70s</i>. &nbsp;It's only when you look inside that you see what she currently looks like.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br />Compare this with the Rolling Stones or Black Sabbath, both of whom I saw within the same week that I went to see Blondie. &nbsp;Everyone knows what Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and Ozzy Osbourne looks like today. &nbsp;We recognize them immediately and know that they're old. &nbsp;When I google "Rolling Stones Rolling Stone" or "Black Sabbath Rolling Stone," I get these images in the top search results:<br /><table style="width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-18A0Xan8MOc/UiEyP1e46HI/AAAAAAAAPF8/YDtF9zxTm1g/zrtn_003n1af8e76a_tn.jpg?imgmax=512" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-18A0Xan8MOc/UiEyP1e46HI/AAAAAAAAPF8/YDtF9zxTm1g/zrtn_003n1af8e76a_tn.jpg?imgmax=512" height="320" width="255" /></a></div><a href="http://assets-s3.rollingstone.com/assets/images/story/the-rolling-stones-soul-survivors-20130507/1000x306/20130506-rolling-stones-306x-1367856724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://assets-s3.rollingstone.com/assets/images/story/the-rolling-stones-soul-survivors-20130507/1000x306/20130506-rolling-stones-306x-1367856724.jpg" height="320" width="233" /></a><br /><br />Both of these covers are from the last year; The Rolling Stones' cover is from May 2013, and the Black Sabbath one is from September 2013 (note that it is the Spanish edition). &nbsp;Granted, these are heavily photoshopped and I can tell you this because I literally just saw both bands in the last week and a half. &nbsp;The point though is -- you know they're old and you're not surprised to see them looking as they should because yes, they're over 65 years old.<br /><br />This brings me to the point that I think it's a bit sexist that Debbie Harry's image from the 70s is still being used. &nbsp;Granted, it might be of the band's choice, but I think it's also a bit of societal pressure. &nbsp;Clothing for little girls mimics items made for older girls or even women, but then as soon as you hit a certain age, society tells women that we should all look younger. &nbsp;Heaven forbid we all actually look our age! &nbsp;Girls make themselves up to look older and wear clothing that makes them look a certain age, but then women also make themselves up to look younger. &nbsp;There are products galore out there to make you look that perfect age.<br /><br />Debbie Harry is, as Rolling Stone pointed out, a punk-pop goddess. &nbsp;She did a lot for MTV back in the day, and she is a role-model for a lot of women in rock. &nbsp;Blondie as a band needs to stop using her image from the golden age of MTV. &nbsp;They're still a great band making phenomenal music. &nbsp;Having to rely on Debbie Harry's image from the 70s is sending the wrong message to girls and women in rock today -- we can't get old and we must be eternally, youthfully beautiful. &nbsp;She and the band should really embrace her image now; she can still rock and she is beautiful the way she is. &nbsp;And to underline this point, this is what she looked like at the concert I went to in Cologne:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XYZEL6-Xdw0/U7B3FI1U_MI/AAAAAAAABBQ/GBvAhGcPnU8/s1600/Jeremy_20140625_21_22_51_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XYZEL6-Xdw0/U7B3FI1U_MI/AAAAAAAABBQ/GBvAhGcPnU8/s1600/Jeremy_20140625_21_22_51_Pro.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>She still looks fantastic and not in a plasticine sort of way. &nbsp;Even if you think about other women in music that are aging -- Madonna and Cher, to name just two -- they are also stuck in a weird place where they're trying to look forever youthful. &nbsp;Whether or not they are succeeding is a different matter, but I don't really see Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, or Ozzy Osbourne really trying to keep looking like their younger selves. &nbsp;"Men are like wine, they get better with age," is something I hear so often. &nbsp;But women? &nbsp;Eh, there's always going to be a younger woman out there who wants to have an older man.<br /><br />But back to Blondie -- I was actually really annoyed with myself that I was so shocked to realize that Debbie Harry is old. &nbsp;It might be my own fault because I don't actively follow the band in the media at all, but on the other hand, if there is anything about Blondie, it shows Debbie Harry from the 70s (unless you open the magazine). &nbsp;I can only hope that at some point, women will catch up to their male counterparts and society will accept aging female rock stars. &nbsp;A good first step would be to embrace those from the past.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="http://assets-s3.rollingstone.com/assets/images/story/the-rolling-stones-soul-survivors-20130507/1000x306/20130506-rolling-stones-306x-1367856724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>pleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09357319679260809789noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11366735.post-64832913751480594992014-06-15T14:53:00.000+02:002014-06-15T14:53:08.518+02:00A Visit to Abbey Road Studios - The Sound of Abbey RoadBack at the beginning of May, I had planned a trip to London. &nbsp;While talking to a friend, they asked if I was going to do anything Beatles-related. &nbsp;I asked myself if perhaps Abbey Road Studios had changed its policy of no tours, so I checked their website. &nbsp;To my surprise and delight, there just happened to be a talk in Studio Two the weekend I would be there, "<a href="http://www.abbeyroad.com/News/Article/302/Visit-Abbey-Roads-legendary-Studio-Two" target="_blank">The Sound of Abbey Road</a>." &nbsp;I immediately ordered my ticket, wondering if I should really drop the hefty £90 (114€/$150 USD) price to get in. &nbsp;Friends and family thought I was nuts. &nbsp;Some understood why I spent the money, others didn't.<br /><br />Why did I even have my doubts?<br /><br />Upon getting to the studios, I was out of breath from running through St. John's Wood to get there on time. &nbsp;The guys up front assured me I was on time and that the talk hadn't begun. &nbsp;As directed, I walked through a hall and down a staircase decorated with various black and white images of musical legends recording in Abbey Road -- from The Beatles to David Bowie to Oasis. &nbsp;At the bottom, I made a right and entered the legendary Studio Two.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z3GVD9bHnZw/U52LoDcPPKI/AAAAAAAAA_8/rnL33SgR5Sk/s1600/Jeremy_20140502_19_55_50_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z3GVD9bHnZw/U52LoDcPPKI/AAAAAAAAA_8/rnL33SgR5Sk/s1600/Jeremy_20140502_19_55_50_Pro.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a name='more'></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;">The studio was set up with seats for around 120 people. &nbsp;Although everyone was talking to each other in hushed tones, you could feel the excitement. &nbsp;I took a seat in the back and looked around. &nbsp;The crowd seemed to skew older than myself and also seemed to be more men than women; I was certainly one of the few people there alone. &nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The hosts were Brian Kehew and Kevin Ryan, authors of the book <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6604896-recording-the-beatles" target="_blank">Recording the Beatles</a>&nbsp;with guest Ken Scott, who was an engineer that worked with The Beatles.&nbsp; The talk actually revolved mostly around Abbey Road Studios and its contribution to musical history and the developments of recording technology, like the development of stereo, how master recordings were made, and the differences between the three studios in Abbey Road. &nbsp;Of course, The Beatles played an enormous role with their experiments and pushing the boundaries of what was feasible. &nbsp;I don't actually have any sort of photos or recordings of the talk itself because it was forbidden since Kehew, Ryan, and Abbey Road Studios wanted to keep the content exclusive, which I can fully understand.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When Ken Scott talked, he mostly described how it was working with The Beatles, how he accidentally wound up as an engineer, and had lots of fascinating little anecdotes. &nbsp;For example, the snare drum hit on the song "Glass Onion" in the beginning and in the middle are two completely different ones though they were supposed to be the same. &nbsp;He tried so hard to get the recording right, and it just didn't work. &nbsp;The Beatles didn't really care. &nbsp;Or how he made some off-hand comment about recording in a small closet off Studio Two and two days later, The Beatles decided to record "Dig a Pony" in it, which gave it a very enclosed, tight sound. &nbsp;To say the least, I was hanging off every word he said.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The highlight of actually being in Abbey Road Studio Two, though, was listening to music in the actual studio. &nbsp;Naturally, being the most famous recording studio in the world, they had amazing speakers there and the acoustics were fantastic. &nbsp;A small clip of The Beatles' version of "Twist and Shout" was played and it was incredible. &nbsp;The sound was so clear and crisp that it was like being in the studio with them. &nbsp;I could just imagine them standing in the corner going wild recording the song. &nbsp;In the photo above, that's the corner where they always stood. &nbsp;And this is their point of view of the studio:&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qhl6rZVtOwc/U52Qkm8YlGI/AAAAAAAABAM/8nIHhK40H0U/s1600/Jeremy_20140502_22_06_07_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qhl6rZVtOwc/U52Qkm8YlGI/AAAAAAAABAM/8nIHhK40H0U/s1600/Jeremy_20140502_22_06_07_Pro.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In addition to listening to clips, Kehew and Ryan asked the audience if anyone played piano (my reaction: "Dammit, why didn't I ever learn to play piano instead of trumpet?!"). &nbsp;They took three people and sat them down on a few pianos they had (see image below). &nbsp;These pianos are always in Abbey Road Studios and they have different timbres. &nbsp;One dating from 1905 has an exceptionally bright sound that would be great for ragtime and Paul McCartney had used it for "Ob-la-di Ob-la-da." &nbsp;The famous Steinway was also in the corner. &nbsp;These three lucky people were instructed by Kehew and they simultaneously struck a very, very famous chord -- the chord at the end of "A Day in the Life." &nbsp;The sound reverberated throughout the studio, slowly faded out, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who got chills. &nbsp;I could just imagine John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Mal Evans, and George Martin all playing this at the end and letting it ring, so much so that you can hear Ringo's chair squeak ever so slightly in the remastered version. &nbsp;Nobody had to be told what the chord was; everyone recognized it immediately.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lm2scfsC8i0/U52Vnl1ABbI/AAAAAAAABAk/3TppLiAN9ZY/s1600/Jeremy_20140502_22_05_32_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lm2scfsC8i0/U52Vnl1ABbI/AAAAAAAABAk/3TppLiAN9ZY/s1600/Jeremy_20140502_22_05_32_Pro.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At the end, there was a chance to buy some merchandise (like the books from the speakers, which we could get signed) and walk around Studio Two. &nbsp;They had some old equipment to look at, like old sound boards and the various pianos. &nbsp;It was really super interesting. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The ability though to be in the place where The Beatles recorded all of their albums, to be able to listen to their music in the place where they were, to hear Ken Scott's stories about working with The Beatles, was worth every cent. &nbsp;It was a truly remarkable experience and I am so glad I was able to do it. &nbsp;Even hearing about how technology developed in Abbey Road Studios was fascinating and it's definitely given me a better appreciation of music in general. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Lastly, I think this picture basically says how ecstatic I was after the talk:&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QCQikpzsDkg/U52VXdhRx3I/AAAAAAAABAc/-L6crRU229E/s1600/Jeremy_20140502_22_35_40_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QCQikpzsDkg/U52VXdhRx3I/AAAAAAAABAc/-L6crRU229E/s1600/Jeremy_20140502_22_35_40_Pro.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div><br /><span id="goog_185076734"></span><span id="goog_185076735"></span><br />pleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09357319679260809789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11366735.post-49890050276042469362014-04-20T15:03:00.000+02:002014-04-20T15:03:03.109+02:00Record Store Day is my Black FridayYesterday was <a href="http://recordstoreday.com/" target="_blank">Record Store Day</a>, which is when vinyl fans everywhere can go hunt for special releases that are mostly on vinyl. &nbsp;I've been following RSD since 2010, and I remember going to a local store and asking if they had the special John Lennon release. &nbsp;They only looked at me quizzically and told me that RSD wasn't a thing in Germany. &nbsp;I walked away disappointed and called my sister in New York to try getting me the record, but of course it was near impossible by the time she got to the store. &nbsp;Four years later and to my delight, the same store and two others here in Düsseldorf participate. &nbsp;I'm not one to wake up and line up at the local record shop before they open at 8 a.m. like these guys:<br /><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">Happy campers at <a href="https://twitter.com/LUNAmusic">@LUNAmusic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23RSD14&amp;src=hash">#RSD14</a> <a href="http://t.co/36uKg11gse">pic.twitter.com/36uKg11gse</a><br />— Record Store Day (@recordstoreday) <a href="https://twitter.com/recordstoreday/statuses/457495369375809536">April 19, 2014</a></blockquote><br /><a name='more'></a>But I am definitely one to impatiently wait for the person in front of me to finish flipping through the available releases and maybe strike up a friendly conversation (depending on how long they're taking).<br /><br />For me, RSD is a bit like Black Friday. &nbsp;The lining up in front of the store, the checklist of must-haves and wants, the camaraderie that ensues, and the excitement of getting something hard-to-get. &nbsp;Luckily I haven't encountered anyone getting trampled to death, nor have I seen people making a run for the shelves. &nbsp;It also doesn't hurt that RSD is in April, whereas Black Friday is in November and where I'm from, it's generally pretty frickin cold then. &nbsp;But the build-up and anticipation make RSD feel like a holiday. (For example, see Jack White getting the title of recording <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/jack-white-releases-worlds-fastest-record-20140419" target="_blank">the world's fastest record</a>.)<br /><br />This year, the list of records I wanted to get included Ray Parker, Jr.'s "Ghostbusters" single on glow-in-the-dark green vinyl, a Sharon Jones &amp; The Dap Kings 12", two Everly Brothers 12", a Yardbirds 12", The Pixies' release <i>Indie Cindy</i>, and any of the Rancid re-releases. &nbsp;(Just a note -- this a shortened list of things I wanted. &nbsp;If I included everything I wanted, it'd be significantly longer.) &nbsp;I wound up getting lucky with <i>Indie Cindy</i> and two Rancid releases, <i>Let's Go</i> and <i>...And Out Came the Wolves</i>. &nbsp;With the Pixies, I was pretty excited since the release is limited and included a surprise 7" inside that's exclusive for RSD. &nbsp;As for Rancid, I only own the albums digitally, so I figured it'd be a good idea to get them on vinyl.<br /><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/recordstoreday">@recordstoreday</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RSD_Germany">@RSD_germany</a> Happy <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23RSD&amp;src=hash">#RSD</a>! Got lucky and got a copy of the pixies Indy Cindy! <a href="http://t.co/Eh5VExqRHs">pic.twitter.com/Eh5VExqRHs</a><br />— Patricia Lee (@geekrockchick24) <a href="https://twitter.com/geekrockchick24/statuses/457518850813468672">April 19, 2014</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> The difference between RSD and Black Friday though is that I don't stuff myself silly with food the day before. &nbsp;Also, I actually participate every year. &nbsp;With Black Friday, I avoid it like the plague, but with RSD, it's not just about getting my hands on some records. &nbsp;It's about the community and hearing other like-minded music lovers talking enthusiastically about their favorite bands and albums. &nbsp;It's also about going supporting the local record shop because they can make recommendations and have a great conversation. &nbsp;Sure, you can just switch on Spotify or Pandora, discover bands, and share them, but it's behind a computer screen (Ironic that I say this considering I'm sitting here writing about it at my computer). &nbsp;And if I were in New York, it'd also be about the live performances. <br /><br />Record Store Day is about being analog and about the community. &nbsp;It's nice to see that even in this day and age, people still want to something physical in their hands and they want to have that human interaction.<br /><br />And for shits and giggles since this has been making the rounds...Kids React To Walkmans:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Uk_vV-JRZ6E" width="560"></iframe><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>pleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09357319679260809789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11366735.post-28238870796904442712014-04-18T22:58:00.000+02:002014-04-20T12:59:11.062+02:00The inevitable post about Game of ThronesAs much as I consider myself a pop culture fanatic, I also get into TV shows considerably later than everyone else. &nbsp;Consider that I got into <i>Lost</i>, <i>How I Met Your Mother</i>, and <i>Mad Men</i> after their second seasons had already aired and finished on TV. &nbsp;And I'll admit it -- I have never seen an episode of <i>Breaking Bad </i>or<i> Downtown Abbey,&nbsp;</i>watched only two episodes of <i>The Walking Dead </i>(which I liked), and only started watching <i>30 Rock</i> in earnest this year, which is a shame because it is simply hilarious.<br /><div><br /></div><div>And then there's <i>Game of Thrones</i>. &nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_0lvOE4cCsc/U1GKWwiEMXI/AAAAAAAAA9A/xXI8dpEwDpA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-18+at+10.25.18+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_0lvOE4cCsc/U1GKWwiEMXI/AAAAAAAAA9A/xXI8dpEwDpA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-18+at+10.25.18+PM.png" height="187" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I only read the books because my husband had gone through all of them and had only praise. &nbsp;It took me a really long time to get through the books that are out. &nbsp;My <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/576634587" target="_blank">first impression</a> was not that enthusiastic and after reading the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/719731651" target="_blank">fifth book</a>, I still haven't warmed to the series.</div><div><br /></div><div>As for the show, I had watched a few episodes and again, was not super excited to watch it. &nbsp;In fact, I kept having the tendency of falling asleep. &nbsp;"But how?!" you scream. &nbsp;It took me a really long to stop falling asleep while watching <i>The Godfather </i>and realize how brilliant of a film that is, so maybe this the same.</div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>However, I'm forcing myself to watch this season because I've already read the books. &nbsp;More importantly, it's for the water cooler talk. &nbsp;God, I can't escape it. &nbsp;Even though season four is only two episodes in, it's <u><i>everywhere</i></u>. &nbsp;I can't be the annoying person that asks, "So, did that happen in the latest episode? &nbsp;Oh, did I just spoil something? &nbsp;Uh, sorry." &nbsp;Because that's what will inevitably happen and has happened for the past two weeks. &nbsp;True, I could just read the reviews for experts on <a href="http://www.avclub.com/tv/game-of-thrones-experts/" target="_blank">The AV Club</a> and that would save me the hour of watching the show, but then I feel like I'm raining on everyone's parade.<br /><br />(Stop reading here if you don't want to read any spoilers. &nbsp;I mean it. &nbsp;I'm bringing in stuff from the books.)</div><div><br /><a name='more'></a><br /></div><div>I suppose this season of <i>Game of Thrones</i> will also be my favorite considering I liked the third book the most. &nbsp;Aaaaaaand spoiler alert -- there's lots of deaths. &nbsp;Is it weird that I'm looking forward to them? &nbsp;Joffrey's death in the second episode of season four was one of those, "Hell yeah!" TV moments. &nbsp;I was wondering if that would happen in the first episodes, and I'm glad that the writers hadn't pushed it towards later in the season. &nbsp;I also can't wait for Tywin and Shae to die and see Peter Dinklage's acting in that particular scene. &nbsp;He has added a lot of subtlety to the character that is probably one of the main reasons that I haven't said, "Screw the water cooler talk" yet.</div><div><br /></div><div>With only ten episodes per season, I will probably be watching it, but <i>Game of Thrones</i> definitely has lower priority than <i>Mad Men</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>On a related note, <a href="http://www.avclub.com/article/professor-suspended-game-thrones-shirt-threatened--203579" target="_blank">this article</a> about a professor at a community college near my hometown who was arrested because, as the AV Club put it, his shirt "threatened community college kingdom," makes me cringe. &nbsp;I so don't want to be that person who doesn't get really obvious pop culture references.</div>pleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09357319679260809789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11366735.post-41954529360409848232014-04-06T18:00:00.004+02:002014-04-20T12:59:26.162+02:00The series finale of HIMYM: It's not about the mother, it's about the how<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>If you know me, you'll know that I watch only two shows on a regular basis -- <i>How I Met Your Mother</i> and <i>Mad Men</i>.&nbsp; Both of these shows are ending this year and the expectations for both are incredibly high.&nbsp; The series finale of <i>How I Met Your Mother </i>aired last week on March 31.&nbsp; I didn't have time to watch it until Friday, so I might be slightly behind on jumping on the commentary bandwagon.&nbsp; I actively avoided Twitter (we know how much that can <a href="http://boondoxgarage.blogspot.de/2013/05/how-social-media-is-ruining-tv-for-me.html" target="_blank">spoil stuff</a> for me), but unfortunately following the show on Google+ made me want to tear my hair out with this (I mean, seriously, there's so little stuff on Google+, who would've thought it would spoil a bunch):<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cVIeF-pDBt4/U0FDq8srIpI/AAAAAAAAA7k/9Qc552Qs6jw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-06+at+2.07.36+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cVIeF-pDBt4/U0FDq8srIpI/AAAAAAAAA7k/9Qc552Qs6jw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-06+at+2.07.36+PM.png" height="313" width="320" /></a></div><br />But alas, I digress...<br /><br />The series finale seems to have been disappointing to just about everyone.&nbsp; The basic reaction was, "It took you a whole season to get Barney &amp; Robin married only to get them divorced in two minutes, then have nine seasons to get Robin &amp; Ted get together?&nbsp; What the hell!" or, "The show is called <i>How I Met Your Mother</i>, and the mother just dies?!" I get it.&nbsp; I didn't like it at first, but then I thought about it and actually thought the finale was fitting.&nbsp; So here's a breakdown of how I thought about it.<br /><br /><h3>Ted, The Mother, &amp; the notion of "How I Met Your Mother"</h3>Fans have been anticipating the moment when Ted meets the Mother for nine years and it should have been extraordinary.&nbsp; We're talking about Ted Mosby, after all, the guy we've come to know who makes these grand gestures all in the name of love.&nbsp; He's the one who just blurts out, "I think I'm in love with you!" on a first date.&nbsp; The moment that Ted meets the Mother (who we learn is named Tracy) is actually not this huge big deal.&nbsp; They casually talk about things that make it seem like the universe has brought them together -- Tracy was Cindy's roommate, Tracy was in the econ class that Ted thought was his architecture course, the yellow umbrella.&nbsp; It's actually a very sweet moment, and, considering that this moment has been built up in the last nine years, is fitting.<br /><br />The finale then fast-forwards and we see how Ted and Tracy's relationship develop.&nbsp; We've seen glimpses in this final season, but we really get to see what happens.&nbsp; Instead of having the fairy-tale wedding that we'd all expect these two kids to have, it turns out that Tracy is pregnant and they put the wedding off.&nbsp; In fact, they put the wedding off quite awhile because they have a second kid, and well, time just doesn't allow for it.&nbsp; Future Ted tells his kids that he learned to treasure every moment he had with Tracy, to love her fully, and to appreciate that he had her in his life, even through the trying time when she got sick.&nbsp; Then we find out that Tracy died six years previous to Future Ted's storytelling.<br /><br />Here's when I think the majority of people say, "But why!"&nbsp; I thought about it, and sure, it's not a happy ending, especially for a sitcom.&nbsp; However, <i>How I Met Your Mother</i> is a sitcom that has always mixed the absurd (think: slap bet) with the dramatic (think: Marshall's dad's death).&nbsp; I think the show has always balanced this well, and when it comes down to it, that's what's so charming about it.&nbsp; We've learned to love these characters through the good and bad times, and through it all, you realize that what happens to these characters can also happen to you and your friends.&nbsp; Ted has gone through so much to meet Tracy that he really knows how to fully love her and appreciate her.&nbsp; Without going through what he did (how many times did his heart get broken?), he wouldn't have reached the point where he could be the person he was when he met the mother.<br /><br />That brings me then to the show's title: <i>How I Met Your Mother</i>.&nbsp; Many fans have argued that the show is about Ted meeting the Mother.&nbsp; I agree, it is, but only to a point.&nbsp; I think people focus on the "mother" in the title, but it shouldn't be.&nbsp; The focus should be on the "how" and I really have <a href="http://boondoxgarage.blogspot.com/2013/05/why-i-like-watching-how-i-met-your.html" target="_blank">always thought this</a>.&nbsp; The vast majority of the show's stories revolve around the gang -- Ted, Robin, Barney, Marshall, and Lily.&nbsp; There are story lines that lead to the moment when Ted meets the Mother, like all of the yellow umbrella moments, getting to know Cindy, everyone's encounters with the Mother before Ted.&nbsp; But when it comes down to it, the show is not actually about meeting the Mother, but the story of a few friends going through their 20s and 30s in New York City.&nbsp; Some may argue that it all leads to the Mother, and it does.&nbsp; What happens in the past is what makes Ted who he is when he meets the Mother, but that moment isn't the defining point in the show.&nbsp; It's everything that happens before he meets the Mother that's important.&nbsp; The show has never been about this one particular moment, but it's been about the journey.&nbsp; I can hear some of my friends telling me that I'm being sappy, but all of the stories that we associate with the show have nothing to do with the Mother -- Robin Sparkles, Slap Bet, Big Fudge, what does Barney actually do for a job?!, Lily's wisdom, Intervention -- they are all about the gang. <br /><br />The fact that we finally get to know the Mother's name and we get to see the moment that Ted meets her is satisfying.&nbsp; But was the series finale really only about that?&nbsp; I think I would've been disappointed if the show had ended with Robin &amp; Barney happily married, we see Ted and Tracy meet, the end.&nbsp; Life is unpredictable, and <i>How I Met Your Mother </i>doesn't go for the fairytale ending, which would've been a far safer way to end the show.<br /><br />My last point regarding Ted and the Mother is that their stories actually parallel each other quite well.&nbsp; At the beginning of season nine, we learn of Tracy's heartbreak when the love of her life dies in an accident.&nbsp; She isn't ready to start dating, but winds up in a relationship where the guy doesn't really seem to get her.&nbsp; We don't know her story like we do Ted's, but she has been carrying around the grief of losing the love of her life and still can't let go, even when she gets a proposal.&nbsp; But it is exactly this point that makes her ready to meet Ted -- she has experienced loss, she had another marriage proposal, but couldn't go through with it.&nbsp; I asked myself if Tracy is "settling" when she meets Ted.&nbsp; We don't know her full story, after all, but they seem made for each other.&nbsp; Later, Ted loses the love of his life -- Tracy, aka the Mother -- and then goes back to Robin.&nbsp; Is he "settling," the way Tracy might've because the love of her life died?&nbsp; Is everyone in the show "just settling?"&nbsp; Is this how life actually is?&nbsp; (Maybe.)<br /><br /><h3>Robin, Barney, and Ted</h3>A lot of people have also complained that the final season was devoted to getting Robin and Barney hitched, only to have their marriage dissolve in a two-minute scene.&nbsp; But let's face it...did anyone really think that Robin and Barney getting married seem like a plausible idea?&nbsp; I didn't like that season nine took all of the characters out of familiar settings, like McLaren's and the apartment, but the writers still used the devices they've honed in the last eight years to connect the dots.&nbsp; Throughout season nine, we've gotten a closer look at how Robin and Barney seem to have been made for each other, but then there were always doubts.&nbsp; Barney's last hurrah and teaching those two helpless college guys "how to live" was a signal that maybe Barney hadn't changed.&nbsp; His gesture of bringing Canada to the rehearsal dinner was romantic and a nice touch, but it seemed something that would've been out of Ted's book, not the Playbook.<br /><br />I know there was a lot of protesting when Robin and Barney got engaged.&nbsp; So why all the fuss when they get divorced?&nbsp; Going back to the point I made above that <i>HIMYM</i> has always balanced the absurd with the realistic, this goes directly hand in hand with that idea.&nbsp; Did anyone really expect to have these two stay together?&nbsp; Did we really believe that Barney could change so dramatically?<br /><br />One part of the series finale I admittedly didn't particularly like was that Barney ends up getting a woman pregnant and has a daughter.&nbsp; But in the grand scheme of things, it's been surprising that Barney <i>hasn't</i> gotten anyone knocked up until now.&nbsp; And perhaps this is what he needs to truly change.&nbsp; Robin couldn't do it because he obviously felt trapped, but having a daughter puts things into perspective for him.&nbsp; I don't want to speculate beyond what the series has given us, but again, Barney getting someone pregnant doesn't seem too unrealistic.&nbsp; There are these real moments in life where we all think, "Oh, shit," and this is probably that moment for Barney.<br /><br />As for Ted and Robin actually finally getting together once the Mother has died, Robin has been around the world and divorced from Barney...I understand why some fans think, "It took them nine years to explain this?"&nbsp; But sometimes things don't work out the way they're "supposed" to.&nbsp; We all know this feeling.&nbsp; There are missed chances, regrets, what-ifs, I-should-haves.&nbsp; If this entire final season had been about Ted getting back together with Robin, that would've been so boring.&nbsp; We know their story, and frankly, it's one about missed chances.&nbsp; Maybe it's just me, but there were so many times throughout the show where I would be smacking my forehead and yelling at the TV, "Ted, you're too good for Robin!"<br /><br />Bringing this back to focusing on the "how" part of the show's title, it's really about the journey.&nbsp; Robin wasn't ready to have Ted.&nbsp; She needed to experience disappointment before appreciating what she had.&nbsp; Lucky for her, Ted still wanted her after he had the perfect match.&nbsp; Sure, people make dumb mistakes and yes, it's kind of maddening that it takes nine years plus the additional six or seven for Robin to realize that she should be with Ted, but...life is never what we expect it to be.<br /><br /><h3>And finally....Lily &amp; Marshall</h3>It's not surprising that Lily and Marshall end up having three kids.&nbsp; They're totally the "mature" people in the gang and seem to have their shit together.&nbsp; I found it profound when Robin says to Lily that some things can't stay the same and that the gang isn't the same as it once was.&nbsp; It's a hard but honest truth, and I'm sure some people were like, "Wait a second, what???"&nbsp; Nothing really ever stays the same, and when it does, it's like Barney and everyone just think it's sort of sad.&nbsp; Change happens and it's an undeniable force.&nbsp; As much as you may want something to remain the way it is, it's not going to happen.&nbsp; And we see that in the relationships in the series finale.<br /><br />Sure, things may happen the way we want it to, like Marshall getting offered a judgeship after turning down the first one.&nbsp; But how often does that actually happen?&nbsp; Though Lily and Marshall seem to be the adult couple in the group, they've had more than their share of ups and downs.&nbsp; I think fans had the least problem with how the series ties up the loose ends with Lily &amp; Marshall, so I'll just leave it as that.&nbsp; <br /><h3>Oh, the geeky stuff!</h3>The last point I actually wanted to address about why I liked the finale so much were the inside jokes and the storytelling devices.&nbsp; The finale was chock full of references to past seasons: "Major Pleasure" with Ted and Robin, the "Haaaaave you met Ted?" line, Ted's hanging chad Halloween costume, the cockamouse, Robots vs. Wrestlers...That's one thing I really loved most about this show.&nbsp; You could watch it as a casual viewer, but as a devoted fan, there would be these references slipped in that would make you appreciate the story that much more.&nbsp; It's funny if you watch an individual episode, but way more rewarding to watch it from beginning to end.&nbsp; The writers didn't disappoint with these jokes and it was almost as if they're giving you a small wink and thanks for sticking around so long.<br /><br />And then there's the flash-forwards and going backwards that have always been a really fantastic part of the show.&nbsp; Of course, this was the series finale, so flash-forwards were to be expected.&nbsp; What was nice about this though was that it didn't seem contrived or forced, but was completely natural and fit into the whole show.&nbsp; The flash-forwards could've been totally overdone to tie up every loose end (What's with the pineapple?!), but I think everything that you wanted to know was answered.<br /><br />For me, the series finale wasn't as disappointing as some other shows' (umm....<i>Lost</i>, anyone?) and I think it begs to be watched multiple times.&nbsp; I can't wait for the show to be out on DVD completely because I'll probably just hole myself up to go back and enjoy all the jokes.&nbsp; Now that we know who the Mother is and how the story ends, I'm sure there's a lot of nuggets and clues that can be found (like the fact that in season one, <a href="http://www.buzzsugar.com/How-I-Met-Your-Mother-Past-References-Series-Finale-34492598#photo-34492895" target="_blank">Ted meets a stripper named Tracy</a> and jokes how that's how he met the mother?)&nbsp; And now apparently there might be an <a href="https://twitter.com/CarterBays/statuses/452299544995184640" target="_blank">alternate ending</a> that will be released, so we'll just have to wait and see.pleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09357319679260809789noreply@blogger.com0